BACKGROUND Knowledge of the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and its associated risk factors is imperative for the development and use of more effective preventive measures. METHODOLOGY We conducted a prospective cohort study over a period of 12 months to determine the incidence and the risk factors for development of VAP in critically ill adult patients admitted in intensive care units (ICUs) in Chalmeda Anand Rao Institute of Medical Sciences, Karimnagar, we included 150 patients, on mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours. VAP was diagnosed according to the current diagnostic criteria. RESULTS The study cohort comprised of 150 patients of various cases of cerebrovascular accident, poisoning, neurological disorders, sepsis and others. VAP was diagnosed when a score of ≥6 was obtained in the clinical pulmonary infection scoring system having six variables and a maximum score of 12. The mean age of the patients was 40 years. Of the 150 patients, 28 patients developed VAP during the ICU stay. The incidence of VAP in our study was 18.8%. The risk factor in our study was decrease in the PaO2/FiO2 ratio, duration of mechanical ventilation, impaired consciousness, tracheostomy, re-intubation, emergency intubation, nasogastric tube, emergency intubation and intravenous sedatives were found to be the specific risk factors for early onset VAP, while tracheostomy and re-intubation were the independent predictors of late-onset VAP, The most predominant organisms in our study was Pseudomonas (39.2%). CONCLUSIONS Knowledge of these risk factors may be useful in implementing simple and effective preventive measures. Precaution during emergency intubation, minimizing the occurrence of reintubation, avoidance of tracheostomy as far as possible, and minimization of sedation. The ICU clinicians should be aware of the risk factors for VAP, which could prove useful in identifying patients at high risk for VAP, and modifying patient care to minimize the risk of VAP.
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