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Could Silver-Coated Endotracheal Tubes Be the Answer?

Jean Chastre, MD

JAMA. 2008;300(7):842-844.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the intensive care unit (ICU)–associated infection most frequently acquired among patients receiving mechanical ventilation and is responsible for approximately 50% of all antibiotics prescribed in this setting.^1-3 Because VAP has been associated with increased morbidity, longer hospital stays, increased health care costs, and higher mortality rates, prevention of this infection is a major challenge for all ICU personnel.^1-2,4-5 Numerous preventive strategies have been tested, and updated recommendations have been published.^6-9 However, evaluation of the effect of such interventions is a complex issue.

Three methodological difficulties limit the value of measuring the potential efficacy of strategies to prevent VAP. Specifically, these are difficulties in (1) obtaining an accurate diagnosis of VAP, because only patients who develop true VAP are likely to benefit from preventive measures; (2) precisely determining the impact of prophylactic measures on the overall mortality of a general ICU population to identify . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Author Affiliations: Service de Réanimation Médicale, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France; Institut de Cardiologie, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris.

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Silver-Coated Endotracheal Tubes and Incidence of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: The NASCENT Randomized Trial
Marin H. Kollef, Bekele Afessa, Antonio Anzueto, Christopher Veremakis, Kim M. Kerr, Benjamin D. Margolis, Donald E. Craven, Pamela R. Roberts, Alejandro C. Arroliga, Rolf D. Hubmayr, Marcos I. Restrepo, William R. Auger, Regina Schinner, and for the NASCENT Investigation Group
JAMA. 2008;300(7):805-813.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

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Can Silver-Coated Endotracheal Tubes Reduce VAP Incidence?
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