[Risk factors related with ventilator-associated pneumonia in a neonatal intensive care therapy]

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) represents the second cause of nosocomial infections and it is associated with greater morbility, duration of mechanical ventilation (MV), and hospital stay. The objective was to determine factors related with VAP in neonates.

Analytical transversal study including newborns admitted already intubated with at least 48 hours of MV or who were intubated in Neonatal Therapy. VAP was defined according to the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "those patients submitted to MV during at least 48 hours". We used inferential statistics for statistical analysis (chi squared, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kaplan-Meier estimator).

82 neonates were studied, out of which 27 developed VAP (33%). The median time to develop pneumonia was 6 days (range 5-11). The most commonly isolated germ was Escherichia coli (27%). Statistically significant variables were gestational age (p = 0.05), and the use of antacids at admission (p = 0.007). Patients with pneumonia had longer hospital stay (p = 0.001) and time with MV (p = 0.002). Of all the patients, 22 neonates died (27%), of which nine patients had VAP.

Risk factors for VAP in neonates include lower gestational age, the use of antacids, and prolonged MV.