Frequently Asked Questions about Ventilator-associated Pneumonia
Page last reviewed: May 9, 2019
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a lung infection that develops in a person who is on a ventilator. A ventilator is a machine that is used to help a patient breathe by giving oxygen through a tube placed in a patient’s mouth or nose, or through a hole in the front of the neck. An infection may occur if germs enter through the tube and get into the patient’s lungs.
A patient may need a ventilator when he or she is very ill or during and after surgery. Ventilators can be life-saving, but they can also increase a patient’s chance of getting pneumonia by making it easier for germs to get into the patient’s lungs.
To prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia, doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers can do the following things:
Patients and family members can do the following things to help prevent VAP:
Most of the time, these infections can be treated with antibiotics. The choice of antibiotics depends on which specific germs are causing the infection. The healthcare provider will decide which antibiotic is best.
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