Pharmacotherapy interventions in ventilator care bundles for preventing VAP in adults: A literature review

Care bundles have been introduced into practice to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in critically ill adults. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) proposed a worldwide implementation of the “IHI ventilator bundle” consisting of interventions to reduce the rate of VAP. Updates...

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Main Authors: Neilsen Gazo, Cherie Chu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Society of Mechanical Ventilation 2025-06-01
Series:Journal of Mechanical Ventilation
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Online Access:https://www.journalmechanicalventilation.com/pharmacotherapy-interventions-in-ventilator-care-bundles-for-preventing-vap-in-adults-a-literature-review-2/
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author Neilsen Gazo
Cherie Chu
author_facet Neilsen Gazo
Cherie Chu
author_sort Neilsen Gazo
collection DOAJ
description Care bundles have been introduced into practice to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in critically ill adults. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) proposed a worldwide implementation of the “IHI ventilator bundle” consisting of interventions to reduce the rate of VAP. Updates to these clinical practice bundles occur based on new evidence yet change within institutions is lagging. This review aims to discuss the latest updates in clinical evidence on the pharmacotherapy included in these bundles to aid institutional quality improvement measures. The 2022 Society for Healthcare Epidemiology (SHEA) practice recommendations for preventing VAP were used to identify key pharmacotherapy interventions that are commonly incorporated into hospital care bundles. Three interventions were focused on for this review: (1) Multimodal sedation and analgesia strategies; (2) Oral care with chlorhexidine; and (3) Stress ulcer prophylaxis. A comprehensive literature search was conducted utilizing PubMed, focusing on MeSH terms involving the interventions identified for further review. Literature published from August 2021 to September 2024 was focused on for this project. Findings from these studies were reviewed, summarized, and compared alongside the corresponding 2022 SHEA/IDSA/APIC update recommendations to either reinforce or challenge current VAP bundle practices. This literature review identified a correlation with the pharmacotherapy interventions recommended in the 2022 SHEA/IDSA/APIC update on current VAP bundle practices. The findings support the preferential use of non-benzodiazepine sedatives associated with better clinical outcomes. Additionally, chlorhexidine for oral care with toothbrushing is not recommended due to a lack of strong evidence supporting its effectiveness in reducing VAP rates. Conflicting evidence regarding stress-ulcer prophylaxis remains, warranting the need for further high-quality studies to draw definitive conclusions. Overall, healthcare facilities should ultimately continue to prioritize quality improvement and stay informed on the latest recommendations to effectively prevent VAP.
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spelling doaj-art-394995eeab1d4c26b9856632bbe7deb22025-08-20T02:10:34ZengSociety of Mechanical VentilationJournal of Mechanical Ventilation2694-04502025-06-0162889510.53097/JMV.10127Pharmacotherapy interventions in ventilator care bundles for preventing VAP in adults: A literature reviewNeilsen GazoCherie ChuCare bundles have been introduced into practice to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in critically ill adults. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) proposed a worldwide implementation of the “IHI ventilator bundle” consisting of interventions to reduce the rate of VAP. Updates to these clinical practice bundles occur based on new evidence yet change within institutions is lagging. This review aims to discuss the latest updates in clinical evidence on the pharmacotherapy included in these bundles to aid institutional quality improvement measures. The 2022 Society for Healthcare Epidemiology (SHEA) practice recommendations for preventing VAP were used to identify key pharmacotherapy interventions that are commonly incorporated into hospital care bundles. Three interventions were focused on for this review: (1) Multimodal sedation and analgesia strategies; (2) Oral care with chlorhexidine; and (3) Stress ulcer prophylaxis. A comprehensive literature search was conducted utilizing PubMed, focusing on MeSH terms involving the interventions identified for further review. Literature published from August 2021 to September 2024 was focused on for this project. Findings from these studies were reviewed, summarized, and compared alongside the corresponding 2022 SHEA/IDSA/APIC update recommendations to either reinforce or challenge current VAP bundle practices. This literature review identified a correlation with the pharmacotherapy interventions recommended in the 2022 SHEA/IDSA/APIC update on current VAP bundle practices. The findings support the preferential use of non-benzodiazepine sedatives associated with better clinical outcomes. Additionally, chlorhexidine for oral care with toothbrushing is not recommended due to a lack of strong evidence supporting its effectiveness in reducing VAP rates. Conflicting evidence regarding stress-ulcer prophylaxis remains, warranting the need for further high-quality studies to draw definitive conclusions. Overall, healthcare facilities should ultimately continue to prioritize quality improvement and stay informed on the latest recommendations to effectively prevent VAP.https://www.journalmechanicalventilation.com/pharmacotherapy-interventions-in-ventilator-care-bundles-for-preventing-vap-in-adults-a-literature-review-2/ventilator associated pneumoniaventilator bundlesedationstress ulcer prophylaxis
spellingShingle Neilsen Gazo
Cherie Chu
Pharmacotherapy interventions in ventilator care bundles for preventing VAP in adults: A literature review
Journal of Mechanical Ventilation
ventilator associated pneumonia
ventilator bundle
sedation
stress ulcer prophylaxis
title Pharmacotherapy interventions in ventilator care bundles for preventing VAP in adults: A literature review
title_full Pharmacotherapy interventions in ventilator care bundles for preventing VAP in adults: A literature review
title_fullStr Pharmacotherapy interventions in ventilator care bundles for preventing VAP in adults: A literature review
title_full_unstemmed Pharmacotherapy interventions in ventilator care bundles for preventing VAP in adults: A literature review
title_short Pharmacotherapy interventions in ventilator care bundles for preventing VAP in adults: A literature review
title_sort pharmacotherapy interventions in ventilator care bundles for preventing vap in adults a literature review
topic ventilator associated pneumonia
ventilator bundle
sedation
stress ulcer prophylaxis
url https://www.journalmechanicalventilation.com/pharmacotherapy-interventions-in-ventilator-care-bundles-for-preventing-vap-in-adults-a-literature-review-2/
work_keys_str_mv AT neilsengazo pharmacotherapyinterventionsinventilatorcarebundlesforpreventingvapinadultsaliteraturereview
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