Incidence, microbiological profile and early outcomes of ventilator associated pneumonia in elderly in a Tertiary Care Hospital in India

Abstract

Objective: The aim was to study the incidence, microbiological profile and early outcomes in elderly (age >60 years) patients of ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Uttarakhand. Materials and Methods: Elderly patients (age >60 years) admitted to ICU who developed VAP were enrolled in the study from December 2011 to December 2012 .Their endotracheal secretions were collected and processed as per standard microbiological methods, and the results analyzed along with the early outcomes in terms of in ICU mortality of the patients. Retrospective analysis of records was also done during this period of one year to find out the incidence of VAP among elderly patients. Results: Incidence of VAP was 45.21% among elderly patients on mechanical ventilation (MV) and Gram-negative organisms were the most common etiological organisms. Mortality among elderly patients with VAP was similar to that in young. Conclusions: A higher incidence of VAP was seen among elderly patients subjected to MV though larger studies are needed. Microbiological profile of VAP among elderly and young is similar.