Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Predicts Severe Cognitive Disability in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is linked to poor outcomes in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), yet its effect on cognitive disability is unknown. We hypothesized that there would be an association between severe cognitive disability and VAP in this patient population. Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis of a prospective, multi-center, observational study of adults with a severe, blunt TBI from 2020 to 2023. Patients were grouped by whether they developed VAP. Our primary outcome was severe cognitive disability, defined as a disability rating scale (DRS) score >13 at discharge (or 28 days post-injury if not discharged). Results: There were 309 patients in the cohort; 31.7% (n = 98) developed VAP. The VAP group had greater incidences of diffuse axonal injury (37.3% vs. 22.3%, p = 0.004), neurosurgical interventions (63.3 vs. 38.4%, p < 0.001), and tracheostomies (72.5% vs. 28.9%, p < 0.001). Patients with VAP had a longer duration of mechanical ventilation (13 d vs. 3 d, p < 0.001). Among patients with VAP, median time to diagnosis was 7 days (4-12), time to tracheostomy was 10 days (7-16), and time between the two events was 4 days (2-11). Greater proportions of cognitive disability (64.3% vs. 19.9%, p < 0.001) and worse median DRS scores (8 vs. 2, p < 0.001) occurred in the VAP group. On multi-variable regression analysis, VAP was an independent risk factor for severe cognitive disability (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 4.2, 95% CI: 2.2-7.8). Conclusion: Ventilator-associated pneumonia is common among patients with a severe TBI and is a risk factor for severe cognitive disability. Adherence to VAP prevention techniques may help mitigate cognitive impairment in this population.