Michael S. Niederman, MD
Levels of ventilator-assisted pneumonia (VAP) have declined but remain a concern, so the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has proposed changes to the monitoring of complications from ventilators. The changes focus on ventilator-associated complications (VAC), which may affect VAP.
“The CDC and others have worried that hospitals have manipulated the VAP definition so that VAP data are not reliable any more. However, because the two are not exactly the same, and the problems with the new VAC definition are just being understood, the entire area remains confusing,” says Michael S. Niederman, MD.
Dr. Niederman is a chair of “Controversies and Advances in the Management of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia,” which will explore a number of management strategies aimed at improving the management of VAP and avoiding the overuse of antibiotics.
The session, presented from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in Moscone Center, Room 3016/3018 (West Building, Level 3), will examine evolving management approaches, including the use of anti-inflammatory therapies, rapid diagnostics, biomarker-guided therapies, and antibiotics in development.
Attendees will learn about new research in treatment approaches and whether reporting rates of VAC are tied to a reduction in VAP rates, as well as whether current prevention strategies can reduce the rates of both VAP and VAC.
“We will explore advances in diagnosis, disease monitoring, and therapy, giving attendees the newest information to help them optimize the management of patients at risk for VAP and those who have acquired this infection,” says Dr. Niederman, professor of medicine and clinical director of pulmonary and critical care at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
A discussion period will follow five presentations:
- Can Anti-Inflammatory Therapy Help Improve Outcomes in VAP?
- Are New Antibiotics Going To Help Us Manage VAP in the ICU?
- Can Biomarkers Help With Antibiotic Stewardship in the ICU?
- Do Reporting Rates of VAC Improve Patient Care?
- New Diagnostic Tests for VAP: Faster and Better?
Related Sessions
Two additional education sessions related to VAP—focusing on fungal pneumonia and community-acquired pneumonia—will be presented.
Emerging scientific principles and clinically relevant advances pertinent to the understanding of invasive fungal infection of the respiratory system will be discussed during “New Insights Into the Predisposition, Pathogenesis, and Management of Fungal Pneumonia.” It will be from 2:15 to 4:15 p.m. Monday in Moscone Center, Room 3016/3018 (West Building, Level 3).
Five presentations will look at research on genetic defects and immune factors that predispose patients to develop fungal pneumonia, new information about molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive the pathophysiology of fungal pneumonia, and diagnostic and treatment options for fungal pneumonia.
The second session, “Viral Community-Acquired Pneumonia,” will provide epidemiological data on respiratory viruses as the cause of CAP, the utility of procalcitonin and other diagnostic tools to detect viral infection, and how to integrate new information on respiratory viruses into clinical practice. It will be from 2:15 to 4:15 p.m. Tuesday in Moscone Center, Room 3016/3018 (West Building, Level 3).
Five speakers will give an overview on how respiratory viruses contribute to community-acquired pneumonia and acute lung injuries in the ICU, as well as the use of genetic-based diagnostic approaches to detect viruses.