• S Allen Ensminger, R Scott Wright, Larry M Baddour, and Bekele Afessa.
• Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn. 55905, USA.
• Mayo Clin. Proc. 2006 Jan 1; 81 (1): 32-5.

ObjectiveTo determine the incidence, risk factors, associated pathogens, and outcome of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in patients admitted to a coronary care unit (CCU).Patients And MethodsThis retrospective cohort study was performed in the CCU of a single tertiary medical center. Patients who were admitted to the CCU between March 23, 2002, and May 25, 2003, and who required invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours were included.ResultsOf the 92 patients who met the study criteria, 17 (18.5%; 95% confidence interval, 11.9%-27.6%) developed VAP. The incidence of VAP was 36.3 (95% confidence interval, 21.1-58.1) per 1000 days of mechanical ventilation. There were no statistically significant differences in demographics, presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or use of continuous intravenous sedatives or neuromuscular blockers between patients with and without VAP. The most commonly isolated organisms were methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, Sphingomonas paucimobilis, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The median length of stay in the CCU for patients with VAP was 10 days compared to 6 days for patients without VAP (P < .01). Eight (47%) of the 17 patients with VAP died compared to 29 (39%) of 75 patients without VAP (P = .52).ConclusionsThe incidence of VAP in the CCU is similar to or higher than that reported in other intensive care units. The development of VAP in CCU patients is associated with a prolonged CCU stay but not with an increased hospital mortality.

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