The incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia using the PneuX System

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) can be defined as a pneumonia that occurs after more than 48 hours of intubation and mechanical ventilation. The incidence and mortality of VAP has been estimated to lie between 10-20% and 15-50% respectively, and it has been shown to extend the length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and costs by at least 6 days and $10019 per episode. With these figures in mind, the prevention of VAP is of paramount importance. The aspiration of contaminated secretions from the oropharyngeal space is by far the most common cause of VAP.