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Ventilator Associated Pneumonia in the Trauma Patient, Diagnosis and Management2019
Type: New Practice Management Guideline (PMG)
Category: Surgical Critical Care
Committee Liaison: Rachel S. Morris, MD, FACS
Team leader(s)
Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) is a leading cause of morbidity in critically ill patients. Critically ill trauma patients represent a unique population with associated diagnoses that may falsely suggest pneumonia while possessing additional risk factors favoring the development of pneumonia. Appropriate diagnostic techniques are important to reduce false positives and minimize over utilization of antibiotics. Effective treatment and confirmation of clearance is important to reduce morbidity associated with VAP and prevent development of antibiotic resistant organisms. A 2006 guideline for this topic was published in the Journal of Trauma under the Inflammation and Host Response to Injury group. No subsequent guidelines appear to have been published since then based on a review of the literature despite a number of publications related to the topic.
Work Group Members
Richard Betzold, MD
Jennifer Leonard, MD, PhD
Dennis Kim, MD
John Sharpe, MD