Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in a critically ill patient significantly increases risk of mortality and, at a minimum, increases ventilator time, length of stay, and cost of care. It is a complex condition not only to diagnose but also to treat, thus prevention is extremely important.
Many hospitals have achieved significant reductions in VAP rates in their critical care units, some even reaching zero by taking a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to ventilator care. The IHI Ventilator Bundle — a grouping of best practices that, when applied together, may result in substantially greater improvement — has been implemented in many ICUs, along with teamwork and communication strategies such as structured multidisciplinary rounds and daily goal setting, to wean and remove patients from ventilators as quickly as possible, while providing evidence-based care.