Health Care's Most Wired : 2008 Winner
Physician Finder Directions Events Make a Gift My Bill Quality
Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Print Page

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a lung infection that can happen to patients who are on ventilators (machines to help them breathe). Efforts are made each day to prevent such infections but national studies indicate that a significant number of ventilator patients acquire VAP. When evaluating VAP rates, a low number is better than a higher one.

Concord Hospital compares its VAP rates to a benchmark rate calculated by the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (NNIS). The mean rate is 1.7

Questions You Can Ask the Care Team to Help Prevent VAP:

  • Are you going to raise the head of the bed when the patient is on the ventilator?
  • How are you going to prevent stomach ulcers?
  • What will you do to prevent blood clots?
  • When can the patient try breathing on his or her own?

We welcome your comments and questions about the information on this page. Please use our Web site feedback form to contact us or call (603) 225-2711 ext. 3311.