American journal of infection control
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Am J Infect Control · Aug 2011
Successful prevention of tracheostomy associated pneumonia in step-down units.
Prevention of health care-associated infections is well described in critical care. However, surveillance in step-down unit (SDU) patients who need intermediate care with bilevel mechanical ventilation pressure through tracheotomy needs to be better understood. We evaluated the implementation of preventive measures in SDU over 2 different periods on device (bilevel mechanical ventilation)-associated pneumonia. ⋯ Reducing pneumonia associated with tracheostomy is a continuous multidisciplinary process that involves the measurement of multiple performance metrics.