Variations and National Perspectives on Evaluation and Management of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: An In-Depth Survey Analysis

Introduction Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are vulnerable to ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), which increases their morbidity and mortality. There is a significant overlap of clinical features of neonatal VAP with other pulmonary pathologies, particularly in preterm infants, which can make the definitive diagnosis and management of VAP challenging. Objective Our study surveyed NICU providers across the United States to understand the perspectives and variations in neonatal VAP diagnostic and management practices. Methods The REDCap survey was distributed to the actively practicing members of the Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine (SoNPM) of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). We used descriptive statistics to analyze the data from the respondents. Results Of 254 respondents, the majority (86.6%, 220) were neonatologists and had a relatively even geographical distribution. Most (75.9%, 193) stated that they would perform a gram stain and respiratory culture as part of a sepsis workup irrespective of the patient's duration on invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV); 224 (88.2%) of providers preferred the endotracheal aspiration (ETA) technique to collect specimens. In cases where a positive respiratory culture was present, VAP (52.4%, 133) was the predominantly assigned diagnosis, followed by pneumonia (27.2%, 69) and ventilator-associated tracheitis (VAT) (9.8%, 25). Respondents reported a prescription of intravenous gentamicin (70%, 178) and vancomycin (41%, 105) as the initial empiric antibiotic drugs, pending final respiratory culture results. Most respondents (55.5%, 141) opted for seven days of antibiotics duration to treat VAP. The reported intra-departmental variation among colleagues in acquiring respiratory cultures and prescribing antibiotics for VAP was 48.8% (124) and 37.4% (95), respectively, with slightly more than half (53.5%, 136) of providers reporting having VAP prevention guidelines in their units. Conclusion The survey study revealed inconsistencies in the investigation, diagnostic nomenclature, choice of antibiotic, and treatment duration for neonatal VAP. Consequently, there is a pressing need for further research to establish a clear definition and evidence-based criteria for VAP.