title: Decreasing ventilator-associated pneumonia: getting on board.
abstract: The prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) has been a quality effort that many organizations across the country have undertaken. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the best practices to prevent VAP for our organization were established. Through the interventions of securing the patient resuscitation bag in one location, maintaining the patient's head-of-bed elevation to more than 30 degrees if not contraindicated, Yankauer suction tip care, and the use of chlorhexidine mouth rinse, the incidence of VAP decreased by 43% within a 6-month time frame. Additional ventilator-associated prevention efforts such as sedation and weaning protocols have been established to further enhance preventive efforts.
authors.affiliation: Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, USA. llaux@wpahs.org
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laux
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herbert
mesh_terms: D002985:Clinical Protocols; D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004866:Equipment Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D006235:Hand Disinfection / Q000379:methods; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011187:Posture; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000451:nursing; D013396:Suction / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000451:nursing; D015300:Ventilator Weaning / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing