Abstract

Our aim was to find the incidence of VAP, bacterial pathogens isolated from tracheal aspirate and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern in neurocritically ill patients. Material &Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 100 neurocritically ill patients developing VAP who were admitted to intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital. Endotracheal aspirates were obtained under strict aseptic precautions using a 22-inch Romson’s 12F suction catheter with a mucus extractor. Gram staining and biochemical tests for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility test were performed. The patients were classified into four groups named VAP, NON VAP, SURVIVORS and NON SURVIVORS. Observation:The incidence of VAP in this study was 30%. There was no significant correlation between the primary disease and development of VAP (p value =0.24). Most common organism isolated was P. aeruginosa, (9 isolates) followed by MRSA (7 isolates) and most of them were resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Conclusion: VAP patients have higher mortality rate, longer duration of mechanical ventilation and duration of hospital stay than NON VAP patients. Early diagnosis of VAP and initiation of appropriate antibiotic treatment is vital to prevent the adverse outcomes.

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