As the top cause of death among patients with hospital-acquired infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) can have grave consequences for a hospital:

• Significant mortality rate – up to 27%
• Increased ICU stays by up to 22 days, hospital stays by up to 25 days
• Increased hospital cost per patient of more than $40,000

The increased awareness of VAP has prompted ICUs to employ interventions like elevation of the head of the bed, oral care, sedation lightening or interruption and increased extubation readiness assessments. But there is more hospitals can do.

To further reduce the incidence of VAP, numerous clinical studies and leading industry organizations recommend continuous aspiration of subglottic secretions (CASS) using a specialized endotracheal tube with separate dorsal suction lumen to remove oral and/or gastric secretions from above the endotracheal tube cuff before they can be aspirated.