Expert review of anti-infective therapy
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Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther · May 2012
ReviewManagement of ventilator-associated pneumonia: epidemiology, diagnosis and antimicrobial therapy.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most frequent infection among patients hospitalized in intensive care units, maintaining a high morbidity and mortality. The global incidence of VAP ranges from 8 to 28%. ⋯ The Clinical Infection Pulmonary Score has been proposed to overcome the difficulties related to the diagnosis, but is not applicable to all patient categories. A continuous evaluation of the antimicrobial therapeutic options, along with their pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profiles, is mandatory to create therapeutic protocols and reduce VAP-related mortality.