title: [Difficulties on diagnosis of ventilator associated pneumonia].
abstract: Ventilator associated pneumonia is associated with high morbidity and mortality. It is important a correct diagnosis in way to guide the antibiotic therapy in the most appropriate way. However, its diagnosis is difficult, because clinical and radiologic features are not specific and approaches to standard diagnosis, that allow its confirmation, are very invasive or not very frequent. Protected techniques and quantitative cultures have been trying to outline the problem of the contamination of the samples obtained by routine methods and to allow the distinction between colonization and infection. The author makes a revision on the different methods of diagnosis of this clinical entity.
authors.affiliation: Interna Complementar de Pneumologia, Serviço de Pneumologia do Hospital de São Joao, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Maria Augusta
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Magalhães
authors.forename: Venceslau
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hespanhol
mesh_terms: D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods; D032921:Consensus; D006801:Humans; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D012122:Ventilators, Mechanical / Q000009:adverse effects*