Current opinion in critical care
-
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the main nosocomial infection in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Despite numerous advances in the understanding of this disorder, the incidence rate continues in an unacceptable range. In this review, we discuss some important findings of recently published studies on diagnosis, prevention and treatment. ⋯ In the last year, numerous articles have been published on diagnosis, treatment and prevention of VAP. In this review, we have selected those articles that potentially could lead to changes in clinical practice: Use of noninvasive techniques for diagnosis, new methods and strategies for prevention, and, finally, the efficacy of monotherapy and de-escalation in the treatment of VAP.