• Ben D Albert, David Zurakowski, Lori J Bechard, Gregory P Priebe, Christopher P Duggan, Daren K Heyland, and Nilesh M Mehta.
• 1Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.2Center for Nutrition, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.3Department of Critical Care Medicine, Queen's University and Clinical Evaluation Research Unit, Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, Canada.4Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
• Pediatr Crit Care Me. 2016 Oct 1; 17 (10): 924-929.

ObjectiveEnteral nutrition has been implicated as a risk factor for ventilator-associated pneumonia. We explored the prevalence of ventilator-associated pneumonia and its association with clinical and nutrition-related therapies in mechanically ventilated children.DesignProspective, multicenter, cohort study.SettingFifty-nine PICU in 15 countries.PatientsChildren less than 18 years old, mechanically ventilated for more than 48 hours.InterventionsNone. Multivariable logistic regression to determine factors associated with ventilator-associated pneumonia.Measurements And Major ResultsData are presented as median (interquartile range) or counts (%). We enrolled 1,245 subjects (45% women; 42% surgical), age 20 months (4-84 mo), and duration of mechanical ventilation 7 days (3-13 d). Culture-positive ventilator-associated pneumonia was diagnosed in 80 patients (6.4%); duration of mechanical ventilation for this subgroup was 17 days (8-39 d). Enteral nutrition was delivered in 985 patients (79%), initiated within 48 hours in 592 patients (60%), and via postpyloric route in 354 patients (36%). Acid-suppressive agents were used in 763 patients (61%). The duration of enteral nutrition (p = 0.21), route (gastric vs postpyloric) of delivery (p = 0.94), severity of illness (p = 0.17), and diagnostic category on admission (p = 0.31) were not associated with ventilator-associated pneumonia. After adjusting for enteral nutrition days, illness severity, and site, ventilator-associated pneumonia was significantly associated with mechanical ventilation more than 10 days (odds ratio, 3.7; 95% CI, 2.2-6.5; p < 0.001), PICU length of stay more than 10 days (odds ratio, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1-3.1; p = 0.029), and the use of acid-suppressive medication (odds ratio, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.2-3.6; p = 0.011).ConclusionsVentilator-associated pneumonia was diagnosed in 6.5% of mechanically ventilated children in a heterogeneous multicenter cohort. We did not find a link between enteral nutrition duration or route of delivery and ventilator-associated pneumonia. In addition to duration of mechanical ventilation and length of PICU stay, the use of acid-suppressive therapy independently increased the likelihood of developing ventilator-associated pneumonia in this population. This association must be further explored in clinical trials.

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