PREVALENCE OF MECHANICAL VENTILATION-ASSOCIATED PNEUMONIA IN THE NEONATAL AND PEDIATRIC ICU AT A HOSPITAL IN RURAL RIO DE JANEIRO FROM JANUARY 2025 TO APRIL 2026

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.51572112601069

• Palavras-chave: pneumonia; mechanical ventilation; neonatal and pediatric ICU

• Keywords: pneumonia; mechanical ventilation; neonatal and pediatric ICU

• Abstract:

  Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a significant complication with a high clinical impact in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, accounting for approximately 30% of nosocomial infections and affecting between 8% and 28% of newborns and infants undergoing prolonged mechanical ventilation. Diagnosis is challenging, as it involves a combination of clinical, laboratory, and radiological criteria; it is suggested when there is a worsening of gas exchange or increased ventilatory demands 48 hours after the initiation of mechanical ventilation, associated with the presence of new or progressive pulmonary infiltrates on chest X-rays and at least three clinical signs such as temperature instability, tachypnea, changes in secretions, heart rate abnormalities, or leukocytosis/leukopenia. The prevalence of MV-associated pneumonia may vary according to factors such as gestational age, duration of mechanical ventilation, prior comorbidities (such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia), number of intubations, and care practices adopted by the unit. This is an observational, cross-sectional, and descriptive study with a quantitative approach, whose objective is to determine the prevalence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in a Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, identifying its frequency, main associated factors, and strategies already implemented for prevention, thereby contributing to the improvement of care protocols and patient safety measures.