On this page: Background | Educational Resources | Setting-Specific Resources | Patient Resources | Data & Reporting
Background
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a type of lung infection that occurs in a person who has been on a ventilator. A ventilator is a machine that helps a person breathe by giving oxygen through a tube placed in the mouth, nose, or through a hole in the front of the neck. Germs can enter the ventilator and get into the patient’s lungs, causing illness.
Certain factors can place patients at higher risk for developing VAP. Some of these factors are how long the patient has been on a ventilator, patient age, and underlying medical conditions (Weinstein, Bonten, Kollef, and Hall, 2004). Following recommended infection prevention practices before and after a patient is placed on a ventilator can help reduce the risk of VAP.
Educational Resources
General Resources
VDH Infection Prevention and Control Assessments: The HAI/AR team is available to conduct a no-cost, non-regulatory, onsite visit to help a facility identify its infection prevention strengths and areas of opportunity.
General Resources
- Guidelines for Preventing Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia, 2003
- Project Firstline- CDC’s Project Firstline provides innovative and accessible infection control education for all frontline healthcare workers
- Ventilator observation tool
Virginia Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Group
- Virginia Infection Prevention and Control Training Alliance (VIPTA) - search the education and training resource library for resources related to ventilator-associated pneumonia
VCU Virginia Infection Prevention Training Center
- Virginia Infection Prevention Training Center (VIPTC) - courses and trainings related to infection prevention and control
- Prevention of Ventilator-Associated Events course
World Health Organization
Setting-Specific Resources
CDC Interfacility Transfer Form - The patient transfer form helps make it easier to share information when patients are moved between different places for care. Hospitals and groups focused on making patient safety better can change and use this form to fit their needs.
Patient Resources
Data & Reporting
National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)
- Resources related to reporting ventilator-associated events and pneumonia (ventilator-associated and non-ventilator-associated) to NHSN are available on the CDC website, including protocols, data collection forms, and analysis resources.
Virginia Communicable Disease & Outbreak Reporting Requirements
- There is no state or federal reporting requirement to report ventilator-associated events or ventilator-associated pneumonia at this time.