Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) occurs in 10–20% of
intubated patients and is one of the most frequent nosocomial
infections occurring in intensive care patients [1]. VAP is
associated with increased duration of mechanical ventilation
[1–4], length of hospital stay [1–4], and hospital costs [1–3].
In the Alberta Health Services-Calgary Zone (AHS-Calgary
Zone), each VAP case is estimated to increase hospital costs
by about $30,000 [5].