Reduced incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ventilator-associated pneumonia in trauma patients: A new insight into the efficacy of the ventilator care bundle:

Introduction:There has been a dramatic recent increase in the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. We investigated the effect of implementation of a ventilator care bundle on the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in a cohort of trauma patients.Methods:A ventilator care bundle was implemented after a 7-month baseline period. Ventilator-associated pneumonia rates, rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus acquisition, rates of vancomycin administration, intensive care unit lengths of stay, and durations of mechanical ventilation were prospectively recorded for 10 months.Results:Use of a ventilator care bundle was associated with a reduced incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia from 42 cases per 1000 ventilator days (95% confidence interval: 17–83) in the pre-intervention group to 19 (95% confidence interval: 11–34) cases per 1000 ventilator days in the post-intervention group (p = 0.04). The rate of methicillin-resist...