Table 1 Most relevant clinical studies supporting the use of novel strategies to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP)
From: Novel preventive strategies for ventilator-associated pneumonia
First Author [ref] | Journal, Year | Implemented strategy | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
Morris [3] | Crit Care Med, 2011 | VAP bundle | Before-and-after study, showing that implementation of a 4 item bundle (head elevation, oral chlorhexidine gel, sedation interruptions and a ventilator weaning protocol) reduced VAP rate |
Terragni [6] | JAMA, 2010 | Tracheostomy | Randomized trial showing that VAP incidence was not significantly different comparing early (7 days after intubation) to late (14 days) tracheostomy |
Nseir [20] | Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2011 | Control of ETT cuff pressure | Randomized trial showing VAP rate reduction using a pneumatic device to maintain ETT cuff inflating pressure constant |
Lacherade [22] | Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2010 | Intermittent SSD system | Randomized trial; the use of a SSD system resulted in a significant reduction of VAP incidence, including late-onset VAP |
Kollef [27] | JAMA, 2008 | Silver coated ETT | Randomized trial showing that VAP rates were lower with silver coated ETTs, as compared to standard ETTs |
Miller [33] | J Crit Care, 2011 | Polyurethane ETT cuff | Retrospective assessment of VAP rate with polyurethane vs. PVC cuffed ETTs, favoring the use of polyurethane ETT cuff |
Siempos [44] | Crit Care Med, 2010 | Probiotics | Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials showing an association between the use of probiotics and reduced VAP incidence |