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Research Paper 340
Research Paper 340
Tiffany Anderson
8/7/22
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Ventilator-associated pneumonia occurs when bacteria enter the lungs and causes
inflammation in the respiratory tract. VAP usually occurs in patients 48 hours after mechanical
ventilation and is one of the most common nonsocial infections today (Tripathi, Malik Jain &
Kohi, 2010. Research studies are available with information on the causes of VAP in adults, but
not much information is available on the causes and prevention of VAP in the pediatric
population. As a vulnerable population, children require more care and assessment to prevent
VAP from occurring. Increased need for mechanical ventilation is associated with increased
(O’Brien et al., 2013). Early assessment, laboratory cultures, universal health care precautions,
and research studies have been identified in the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia in
The presence of pneumonia caused by a ventilator for patients intubated during or within
infection in the body could cause damage to the infected organ and may also affect surrounding
organs. Ventilator-associated pneumonia in a child result in decreased recovery time and consists
of extended stays in hospital making the child more susceptible to developing additional
infections (O’Brien et al., 2013). Current research studies are being designed to prevent the
spread of VAP and identify causes and risks factors linked with a mechanically ventilated child
and VAP during their hospital stay. As the incidence of VAP continues to rise and additional
A patient requiring and the time needed for mechanical ventilation are often unavoidable
and increases their chances of developing VAP. Aseptic precautions play a significant role in the
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prevention of VAP as septic techniques prevent the spread of bacteria (Cheney & Nall, 2015).
Hospital-acquired infections like VAP are expensive and often preventable if aseptic techniques
are used correctly (Cherney & Nall, 2015). Oral care should also be provided every two hours for
the mechanically ventilated patient to prevent the development of bacteria in the mouth which
change in color of secretions, or increased work of breathing for the mechanically ventilated
patient should immediately have a tracheal aspirate obtained and sent, and findings should be
treated per collection lab sensitivity report (Cooper & Haut, 2013). Due to the ventilated child
being at an increased risk of developing VAP they should be monitored carefully and
and non-experimental studies are few research studies with findings to help identify the causes
As one of the most common healthcare-associated infections in adults and children, VAP
continues to have an inconsistency in treatment, prevention, and definition (O’Brien et al., 2013).
To advance knowledge about the risk factors and causes associated with VAP, researcher studies
are ongoing to identify the reasons for the development of this type of pneumonia. One study
used a data collection tool consisting of thirty questions sent out to four post-acute care hospitals
and addressed the incidence, diagnosis, etiology, treatment, prevention and VAP definition
(O’Brien et al., 2013). The results of this study show four facilities treatments of VAP were
constant, but prevention practices were inconsistent or unreliable in lowering the incidence of
Observation studies are the most common in the research of VAP. Many studies observed
children, aging from newborn to four years old and intubated in an intensive care unit. These
children were followed over one to three years and had to qualify for to be part of the study.
Qualifiers for the research were children intubated for 48 hours and had informed consent by the
parent (Tripathi,et al., 2010). Children with a tracheostomy, diagnosed with pneumonia during
admission, prior intubation longer 24 hours, or declined permission were not included in the
Results of the research studies were comparable. VAP is seen in adult and children, but
children with VAP tend to be younger compared to those without VAP (Tripathi et al., 2010).
According to research low birth weights, prematurity, length of mechanical ventilation, length of
neonatal intensive care unit stays, and the number of reintubations is factors related to the
development of VAP in children. ICU stays, whether in the pediatric intensive care, cardiac
intensive care or NICU were extended in children with VAP than those without VAP. Other
studies used a bundle method to improve ventilator care and decrease ventilator-associated
pneumonia. Examples of bundle method included peptic ulcer disease prophylaxis, deep vein
thrombosis prophylaxis, elevating the head of the bed, a sedation vacation, and every two hour
oral care have been linked to decrease VAP and improved ICU tactics. Another bundle study
included hand hygiene, endotracheal suctioning, reduced ventilator circuit changes, and the use
VAP bundles may decrease cost, increase ICU’s practices, and decrease VAP. Nursing
care such as hand washing by the healthcare team and frequent oral care prevents the spread of
bacteria which cases pneumonia in the mechanically ventilated patient. Prevention practices can
are vulnerable and when chronically or acutely sick are not usually strong enough to tolerate
multiple tests or medical intervention many research studies require. On the other hand, the adult
population has shown to have more significant and sufficient research regarding VAP and
Current research is available and has helped hospitals and members of the healthcare
them begin to understand how prevention practices or bundles of care processes and proper care
allow for a quicker recovery and shorter hospital stay. The research studies developed helps
healthcare them improve reliability and ultimately deliver the best care to their patients based on
References
http://www.healthline.com/health/aseptic-techniques
Langford, R., & Young, A. (2013). Making a difference with nursing research. Boston, MA:
Pearson Education
O’Brien, J. E., lovanna, D., Dumas, H. M., Burke, S., Maher., A., Ladenheim, B., Pelegano, J.
http://www.turner-white.com/pdf/jcom_jun13_pneumonia.pdf
Tripathi, S., Malik, G. K., Jain, A., & Kohli, N. (2010, January) Study of ventilator-associated
pneumonia in neonatal intensive care unit: characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes.
http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ijmu/article/view/49288/35625