Perpetual Observational Study - Ventilator Associated Pneumonia

Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most frequent healthcare associated infections in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and a significant burden among ICU patients under invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV).Several preventive and therapeutic treatment options are being developed in the field of VAP that will require evaluation in future randomized controlled trials (RCTs).RCTs are the gold standard for evaluating medical interventions but are difficult to perform in a population at risk of, or with, VAP.

Inclusion Criteria:Age > or = 18 yearsAt risk of acquiring VAP during ICU stay, defined as:Requiring admission or being admitted to the ICU.Expected or documented to be under IMV for more than 48 hours.Written Informed Consent given by the study patient in full medical, psychological, cognitive, social or legal capacity to give an informed consent, or, if not possible, by a relative of the study patient OR.Exclusion Criteria:Death is deemed to be imminent or inevitable during this hospital admission AND one or more of the patient, substitute decision maker or attending physician are not committed to full active treatment.