Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Hospitalized Newborns in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

collected by nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (NB-BAL) method for the smear and culture. Colony count and antibiograms were done on all culture-positive specimens. Results: From 103 patients admitted In the NICU, a total of 66 patients were intubated for 48h or more. VAP occurred in 33.3% of the mechanically ventilated neonates. Microorganisms associated with VAP included: Klebsiella species in 68.1%, Acinetobacter spp. and Enterococcus spp. in 13.6%, and Candida spp. in 4.5%. Lower gestational age and birth weight, longer duration of hospital stay and prolonged ventilator need had a significant relationship with VAP. Mortality rate was 6.8% in the ventilated infants without VAP, while 22.7% of the neonates who developed VAP, died. Conclusions: VAP was common in mechanically ventilated infants in the NICU of the hospital and was associated with increased mortality. Further studies are needed to investigate the prevention of VAP in mechanically ventilated neonates.