Background: Pneumonia is a serious complication of mechanical ventilation in intensive care units (ICUs’) patients around the world. If it develops 48 hours after the start of ventilation, it’s called ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and risk factors of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in Palestine.Settings: A prospective cohort study was conducted. It involved six intensive care units (ICUs) and one cardiac care unit (CCU) in six hospitals distributed in four cities in Palestine in a period of five months.
Participants: Patients who were ventilated for 48 hours or more.
Results: 134 patients were involved in the study. VAP was present in 29 patients (21.6%). Patients with VAP were more likely to have sepsis, neuromuscular disorders and chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD), (P value: <0.001, 0.009 and 0.01), respectively.Conclusion: VAP represents a common problem in Palestine and should not be neglected. Its epidemiologic profile in terms of incidence, length of stay and clinical course resembles the general pattern described everywhere.