Pneumonia and artificial mechanical ventilation in the Intensive Care Unit. A three-year study

Abstract

This study was conducted in order to study the behavior of patients receiving mechanical artificial ventilation and who were diagnosed with pneumonia at the Intensive Care Unit-2 of the Arnaldo Milian Castro Provincial University Hospital in Villa Clara. A retrospective study of the book of infections was conducted for all patients admitted to the service that required mechanical artificial ventilation and who were diagnosed with pneumonia. In each year studied, the living cases and the deceased were separate according to sex, types of germs and those in who two or three germs were isolated, and the air way used. A total of 308 patients were included. There was an increase in each year: 82 in 2008, 95 in 2009 and 131 in 2010. There was a slight predominance of women (155 per 153). However, mortality was lower the year that most cases were treated (53.7% in 2008, 54.7% in 2009 and 49.6% in 2010). Patients had a quite similar distribution in the different months of the year. The Acinetobacter was the germ most isolated each year (24 in 2008, 62 in 2009 and 75 in 2010). Its prevalence increased in the last two years. The number of patients with two isolates increased in 2010 to 44 patients, and eight patients had three germs in 2008, 19 in 2009 and 16 in 2010. The most common air way was the endotracheal tube with 280 and 118 tracheostomies. Pneumonia associated with artificial mechanical ventilation is an important health problem that is increasing. The germ presenting most isolates in our environment is the Acinetobacter, although many germs are increasingly found in the same patient, which increases the costs and makes it difficult the treatment.