VAP

Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP)

Ventilator Associated Pneumonia

Aetiology: Describing the phenomenon

As one could make out with the titled disease, ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) embodies the phenomenon where the patient is diagnosed with pneumonia because of medicinal machines and tubal insertions made in the body to help strengthen the immune system of the patient who is in the hospital.VAP, in a lot of medical instances, is considered to be a derivative of hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP), which is pneumonia diagnosed in a patient due to presence of bacterial infection, rather than virus, which is experienced and could be found in the patient within 48-72 hours of admission.

VAP is a nosocomial infection risk for patients requiring mechanical ventilation, of concerns to clinicians in the United Kingdom (UK) and internationally working in the intensive care environment. VAP increases the patients' length of stay and is associated with increased financial costs for health care providers (ATSIDSA, 2005, pp.388).

The overall level of mortality among patients with VAP is 50% (in 2000 70%). Mortality directly related to pneumonia, is around 30% of the total number of deaths in patients with VAP. It is believed that hospital pneumonia develops in the interaction of a sufficient number of virulent microorganisms with macroorganisms, whose baseline are under the influence of microorganism violated protections (Grammatikos, Siempos, Michalopoulos & Falagas, 2008, pp.861).

Patients who receive mechanical ventilation are at particular risk of infection. Endotracheal endotracheal tube violates the cough reflex, eliminates and protects the upper respiratory tract with the vocal cords, inhibits mucociliary clearance, causes the development of local inflammation, does not ensure complete sealing of the respiratory tract (Klingenfuss, 2007, pp. 138).

The penetration of microorganisms into the lungs can be carried out in various ways.

Microaspiration oropharyngeal secretions colonized with pathogenic bacteria is now considered the most likely and most common route of infectio (Kollef, et.al, 2008, pp.805)n. Because microaspiration occurs often enough (so that microaspiration during sleep is marked by at least 45% of healthy people), it is the presence of pathogenic bacteria that can overcome the defense mechanisms in lower respiratory tract, plays an important role in the development of pneumonia.

Aspects of Pathogenesis: the passage of the disease

It all begins with the induction of the patient into a healthcare facility or hospital. The kind of passage which generally takes place is because of the kind of immune system a person may have. Generally a weak immune system will be more prone to adopting and taking up the pneumonia in comparison to a much stronger one.

Doctors and researchers suggest that it maybe a possibility that while the patient is already experiencing any condition could actually hamper the condition to the patient with the presence, which will actually hamper the health condition and reduce the chances of recovery of the individual from one disease into another (Kollef, 2005, pp.714).

To trace the foundation of pneumonia, mechanical intubation has been suggested as a key cause for the occurrence and the key factor which has been witnessed and identified as amongst the key ...