Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) is a possible severe complication of patient management in intensive care units (ICUs). VAP was estimated to occur in 9-27 % of all mechanically ventilated patients and the attributable mortality for VAP at between 33-50 %.
The most significant mechanisms implicated in the insurgence of VAP depends by micro aspiration, which can occur during intubation and micro aspiration around the cuff of the tube and pooling and trickling of secretions around the cuff. The complex interplay between the endotracheal tube, virulence of the pathogens and presence of risk factors contribute to the development of VAP. For these reasons the potential strategy to prevent VAP are a key topic.
Current data suggested that probiotics are able to reduce the incidence of VAP in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. However, despite preliminary evidence indicates that probiotics are safe and efficacious in preventing VAP in ICUs and may reduce the incidence of VAP in this setting, the quality of the available evidences is low and large well-built studies are needed to clarificate this topic.
The aim of this study is to verify the reduction of incidence of VAP in a cohort of patient hospedalized in ICU receiving oral bacteriotherapy compared with untreated.
