Review Article Hunter’s Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (2012) article went into detail about ventilator associated pneumonia. Hunter defined ventilator associated pneumonia as a nosocomial infection that can be caused by any type of Gram negative bacteria; such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter. The article explained that patients that are affected by ventilator associated pneumonia are usually on a ventilator and more susceptible to it due to lack of immune system; and inability to cough and swallow (Hunter, 2012, pp.1-3). In other words, patients who are on ventilators are at high risk for contracting the infection due having a weakened immune system due
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By not having these protective mechanisms, patients are at an increased risk of accumulating secretions and aspirating the secretions into their lungs. Hunter also revealed that it can be difficult to definitely diagnose ventilator associated pneumonia. This is the case even with the universal criteria that requires patients that are suspected of having the infection to have pulmonary infiltrates appear on chest x-rays; purulent secretions be present in the tracheal tube; white blood cell counts that are unusual in value; and a fever be greater than 38.3°C. This is due to patients having multiple co-morbidities that also exhibit the same symptoms as ventilator associated pneumonia (Hunter, 2012, pp.2). The article lists ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, meropenem, vancomycin, linezolid, and cephalosporin as possible antibiotics to use in the treatment of ventilator associated pneumonia. However, Hunter stresses the importance of prevention through preventing aspiration by sitting the patient at a 30-45° degree angle, providing oral care, prescribing prophylaxis antibiotics, regularly suctioning the patient’s tracheal tube, and limiting the patient’s time on the ventilator; thus decreasing the risk of ventilator associated …show more content…
Statistics on the website show that ventilator associated pneumonia occurs in 22.8% of patients on mechanical ventilation; and that 86% of patients that are on some type of ventilator support also contract nosocomial pneumonia. The website also revealed that the mortality rate due to ventilator associated pneumonia can range from 27% to 43% depending if the causative agent is antibiotic resistant; and that a patient’s stay in the intensive care unit increases to five to seven days and that a general hospital stay triples in length. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses adds that the ventilator associated pneumonia can cost up to $40,000 per admission per patient; and up to $1.2 billion dollars per year in the United States alone (American Association of Critical-Care Nurses). In that, ventilator associated pneumonia is detrimental to a patient’s health. Amanullah explained that even if ventilator associated pneumonia is successfully treated; patients could develop other potential complications such as an abscess, empyema, superinfection, or another infection (Amanullah, 2015). In a sense, ventilator associated pneumonia can cause array of
By not having these protective mechanisms, patients are at an increased risk of accumulating secretions and aspirating the secretions into their lungs. Hunter also revealed that it can be difficult to definitely diagnose ventilator associated pneumonia. This is the case even with the universal criteria that requires patients that are suspected of having the infection to have pulmonary infiltrates appear on chest x-rays; purulent secretions be present in the tracheal tube; white blood cell counts that are unusual in value; and a fever be greater than 38.3°C. This is due to patients having multiple co-morbidities that also exhibit the same symptoms as ventilator associated pneumonia (Hunter, 2012, pp.2). The article lists ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, meropenem, vancomycin, linezolid, and cephalosporin as possible antibiotics to use in the treatment of ventilator associated pneumonia. However, Hunter stresses the importance of prevention through preventing aspiration by sitting the patient at a 30-45° degree angle, providing oral care, prescribing prophylaxis antibiotics, regularly suctioning the patient’s tracheal tube, and limiting the patient’s time on the ventilator; thus decreasing the risk of ventilator associated …show more content…
Statistics on the website show that ventilator associated pneumonia occurs in 22.8% of patients on mechanical ventilation; and that 86% of patients that are on some type of ventilator support also contract nosocomial pneumonia. The website also revealed that the mortality rate due to ventilator associated pneumonia can range from 27% to 43% depending if the causative agent is antibiotic resistant; and that a patient’s stay in the intensive care unit increases to five to seven days and that a general hospital stay triples in length. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses adds that the ventilator associated pneumonia can cost up to $40,000 per admission per patient; and up to $1.2 billion dollars per year in the United States alone (American Association of Critical-Care Nurses). In that, ventilator associated pneumonia is detrimental to a patient’s health. Amanullah explained that even if ventilator associated pneumonia is successfully treated; patients could develop other potential complications such as an abscess, empyema, superinfection, or another infection (Amanullah, 2015). In a sense, ventilator associated pneumonia can cause array of