ABSTRACT
Objectives:
to analyze the diagnostic criteria for ventilator-associated pneumonia recommended by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency and the National Healthcare Safety Network/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as its risk factors.
Methods:
retrospective cohort study carried out in an intensive care unit throughout 12 months, in 2017. Analyses included chi-square, simple linear regression, and Kappa statistical tests and were conducted using Stata 12 software.
Results:
the sample was 543 patients who were in the intensive care unit and under mechanical ventilation, of whom 330 (60.9%) were men and 213 (39.1%) were women. Variables such as gender, age, time under mechanical ventilation, and oral hygiene proved to be significant risk factors for the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Conclusions:
patients submitted to mechanical ventilation need to be constantly evaluated so the used diagnostic methods can be accurate and applied in an objective and standardized way in Brazilian hospitals.
Descriptors:
Pneumonia; Ventilator-Associated; Risk Factors; Intensive Care Units; Delivery of Health Care; Cross Infection