Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 30, 2026
Author Spotlight: A Non-Intubated Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery with Multimodal Analgesia and Sevoflurane Inhalation Anesthesia
Published on: May 26, 2023
Prevalence and test characteristics of national health safety network ventilator-associated events
Craig M Lilly1, Karen E Landry, Rahul N Sood
11Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. 2Department of Anesthesiology and Surgery, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. 3Clinical and Population Health Research Program, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. 4Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. 5Department of Critical Care Operations, UMass Memorial Health Care, Worcester, MA. 6Department of Nursing, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA. 7Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. 8Graduate School of Nursing Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. 9Department of Information Services, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. 10Department of Cell Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA.
Objectives:
The primary aim of the study was to measure the test characteristics of the National Health Safety Network ventilator-associated event/ventilator-associated condition constructs for detecting ventilator-associated pneumonia. Its secondary aims were to report the clinical features of patients with National Health Safety Network ventilator-associated event/ventilator-associated condition, measure costs of surveillance, and its susceptibility to manipulation.
Design:
Prospective cohort study.
Setting:
Two inpatient campuses of an academic medical center.
Patients:
Eight thousand four hundred eight mechanically ventilated adults discharged from an ICU.
Interventions:
None.
Measurements And Main Results:
The National Health Safety Network ventilator-associated event/ventilator-associated condition constructs detected less than a third of ventilator-associated pneumonia cases with a sensitivity of 0.325 and a positive predictive value of 0.07. Most National Health Safety Network ventilator-associated event/ventilator-associated condition cases (93%) did not have ventilator-associated pneumonia or other hospital-acquired complications; 71% met the definition for acute respiratory distress syndrome. Similarly, most patients with National Health Safety Network probable ventilator-associated pneumonia did not have ventilator-associated pneumonia because radiographic criteria were not met. National Health Safety Network ventilator-associated event/ventilator-associated condition rates were reduced 93% by an unsophisticated manipulation of ventilator management protocols.
Conclusions:
The National Health Safety Network ventilator-associated event/ventilator-associated condition constructs failed to detect many patients who had ventilator-associated pneumonia, detected many cases that did not have a hospital complication, and were susceptible to manipulation. National Health Safety Network ventilator-associated event/ventilator-associated condition surveillance did not perform as well as ventilator-associated pneumonia surveillance and had several undesirable characteristics.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Mechanical Ventilation II: Invasive Ventilation
Negative-Pressure Ventilators
Negative-pressure ventilators create a vacuum around the chest or body to draw air into the lungs, simulating breathing. This method does not require an...
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:23Mechanical Ventilation III: Noninvasive Ventilation
Noninvasive Positive-Pressure Ventilation...
01:29Acute Respiratory Failure-V
Ensure that patients are monitored continuously for their response to therapy, including changes in...
01:29Pulmonary Embolism II: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care
01:21Acute Respiratory Failure-II
The underlying physiological abnormalities that contribute to hypoxemic respiratory failure include: