Spearheaded by a group from the Center for Clinical and Translational Research at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, the study began in 2010 as a way to further reduce rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia from a 2007 infection control campaign at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The 18 month intervention integrated bed positioning, anti-bacterial mouth rinse schedules and strict protocol for suctioning secretions from patient airways, after which the research team observed a 53 percent decrease in VATs compared to when pre-intervention protocol was used.
