Preventing Ventilator Associated Pneumonia
What are we measuring?
The percent of intensive care patients on ventilators receiving all of the interventions known as the "ventilator bundle."
Why is this important?
Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) is a serious lung infection that can develop in patients who are put on ventilators (a machine to help them breathe). Doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists can help to prevent VAP by implementing the ventilator bundle.
What does our performance tell us?
The chart below shows how BIDMC's performance compares to our goal. Look for big differences in the scores in order to be sure the difference is meaningful. Small differences may not reflect true differences in performance (i.e., they may not be statistically significant). Click on the link below the chart to see our performance over time.
*Source of comparison for each measure may vary. It may be drawn from national, regional, or local databases and can include internal goals and/or benchmarks that BIDMC has established.
View our past performance over time
BIDMC’s performance in implementing the ventilator bundle during the 3rd Quarter of FY09 is 96% for all intensive care units compared with our goal of 90%. Our performance has shown consistent improvement each quarter and we are exceeding our goal of 90%.
What are we doing to improve our performance?
The ventilator bundle includes:
- Elevation of the head of the bed
- Daily removal of sedation medication
- Daily assessment of a patients’ readiness to breathe off the ventilator.
- Medication to prevent stomach ulcers
- Preventing blood clots when a patient is bedridden
Other useful measures on infections:
Last updated: August 21, 2009
