What is VAP?
Some patients need a machine-operated throat tube to help them breathe. Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) is an infection that can develop because of the tube. To prevent VAP, we:
- Use special suction devices
- Take extra-special care of the mouth, where the tube is.
- Position beds to the best angle
- Take out ventilators as soon as possible.
What does this data mean?
For more than a year, several critical care areas at Children's have had zero VAP infection rates. This means that none of these patients have had VAP.
This a rate per 1000 ventilator days. For example, a rate of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Rate of 0.2 means two pneumonias for every 10,000 ventilator days. Source: National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) of the CDC Report, 2010. This is the most current available benchmark data.
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