How to remove the grey area between ventilator-associated pneumonia and ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis?

Table 1 Characteristics at time of VAP diagnosis and outcome of VAP patients

	Gradual VAP (n = 42)	IVAC (n = 34)	P value
At the time of VAP diagnosis
MV duration before VAP, days	9.32 ± 2.35	9.02 ± 3.51	0.658
Early VAP	6 (14.29)	0 (0)	0.030
SOFA score	7.32 ± 2.31	8.01 ± 3.19	0.278
mCPIS score	7.19 ± 1.92	7.33 ± 2.03	0.759
PaO₂/FiO₂, mmHg	160.32 ± 25.17	151.12 ± 19.19	0.083
Temperature, °C	38.19 ± 1.08	38.23 ± 0.92	0.864
WBC, ×10⁹/L	13.42 ± 3.28	12.12 ± 3.06	0.096
Outcome
Empiric treatment failure (72 h)	5 (11.90)	11 (32.35)	0.046
ICU stay, days	18.32 ± 5.19	20.78 ± 4.73	0.029
Hospital stay, days	28.17 ± 6.32	31.92 ± 8.14	0.036
Days of MV	15.23 ± 5.42	18.39 ± 7.14	0.031
Total antibiotics expenditures,^USD	4058.34 ± 273.56	5425.89 ± 385.74	<0.001

Results are expressed as mean ± SD for continuous variables and number (%) for categorical variables
USD United States dollar
ICU intensive care unit, IVAC infection-related ventilator-associated complication, mCPIS modified Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score, MV mechanical ventilation, PaO ₂ /FiO ₂ ratio of partial pressure of arterial oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen, SOFA Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment, VAP ventilator-associated pneumonia, WBC white blood cell

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