Ventilator-associated events in adults: A secondary analysis assessing the impact of monitoring ventilator settings on outcomes

Background

Ventilator-associated events (VAE) is a tier implemented for surveillance by the CDC in the USA. Implementation usefulness for clinical decisions is unknown.

Methods

We conducted a secondary analysis from a prospective, multicentre, international study, to assess the impact on outcomes of using tiers with shorter follow-up (VAE24), lower oxygenation requirements (light-VAE) or both (light VAE24).

Results

A cohort of 261 adults with 2706 ventilator-days were included. The median (IQR) duration of mechanical ventilation (MV) was 9 days (5–21), and the median (IQR) length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) was 14 days (8–26). A VAE tier was associated with a trend to increase from 32% to 44% in the ICU mortality rates. VAE Incidence was 24 per 1,000 ventilator-days, being increased when reduced the oxygenation settings requirement (35 per 1,000 ventilator-days), follow-up (41 per 1,000 ventilator-days) or both (55 per 1,000 ventilator-days). A VAE tier was associated with 13 extra (21 vs. 8) days of ventilation, 11 (23 vs. 12) ICU days and 7 (31 vs. 14) hospitalization days, outperforming the modified tiers’ performance.

Conclusions

The modification of ventilator settings (consistent with ventilator-associated events) was associated with worse outcomes among adults with prolonged mechanical ventilation. Monitoring ventilator-associated events at the bedside represents a new tool for quality improvement.