Prevention of hospital-acquired pneumonia: European perspective

Several preventive measures for VAP have been empirically tested. There is clear evidence that antibiotic-containing preventive strategies, such as SDD and oropharyngeal decontamination, are very effective in different patient populations. Selection of antibiotic resistance remains the major disadvantage of these strategies, however, limiting its applicability in settings with high levels of antibiotic resistance. This probably precludes the use of these strategies in many American settings, but may allow their use in European countries with much lower endemic levels of resistance. There is little evidence that systemic prophylaxis is effective for the prevention of VAP, and initial studies were associated with resistance problems. Of the non antibiotic-containing preventive strategies, subglottic aspiration was effective in several studies, whereas other strategies, such as immunonutrition with glutamine or the semirecumbent patient position, were effective in single studies. All these studies were executed in European ICUs. For these interventions, more data are needed on the generalizability, feasibility, and cost effectiveness. Few data support the use of sucralfate for stress ulcer prophylaxis and modulation of enteral nutrition practices as preventive measures for VAP.