VAP in the ICU ? how to prevent?

Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common infectious complication in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and it is associated with several risk factors such as duration of mechanical ventilation and factors facilitating microaspiration. VAP is associated with substantially increased morbidity, increased duration of mechanical ventilation and length of stay, as well as increased mortality. Prevention of VAP is therefore one of the foremost aims in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients.�