Therapy for ventilator-associated pneumonia

Pneumonia is a serious complication of mechanical ventilation. Pneumonia oc curs despite the best efforts at prevention. Multiple methods available to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia are reviewed, and ventilation-assoc iated pneumonia (VAP) is divided into early versus late onset. The authors discuss the organisms associated with each of these situations, the empiric antibiotic choices, and specific issues related to antibiotic therapy such as resistance, pharmcodynamics, tissue penetration, and types of modificat ions necessary in empiric choice when the cause of VAP is identified.