Risk factors for pneumonia in the intubated patient

Most epidemiologic studies have reported an association between antibiotic use and development of ventilator-associated pneumonia. The information gathered here helps to explain why risk factors in the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia vary from series to series. It also explains why different investigators have found opposite effects when evaluating the antibiotics. When analyzing the role of antibiotic exposure over time (the dynamic concept) one might find answers to different incidence rates and etiology of ventilator-associated pneumonia between studies performed to date.