The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention10 define VAP by using a combination of radiological, clinical, and laboratory criteria. VAP is suspected when a patient receiving mechanical ventilation has evidence of a new or progressive pulmonary infiltrate along with fever, leukocytosis ,and purulent tracheobronchial secretions. Pneumonia is considered ventilator associated if the patient was intubated and receiving mechanical ventilation at the time of or within 48 hours before the onset of infection. According to an expert panel from the American Thoracic Society,11 placement of an endotracheal tube can potentially increase the risk of VAP 6- to 20-fold in patients treated with mechanical ventilation. For VAP to develop, microorganisms must gain access to the normally sterile lower part of the respiratory tract. Critically ill patients are at risk for microorganisms getting into the lower part of the tract because these patients have a depressed level of consciousness and an impaired gag reflex, which may lead to pooling of approximately 100 to 150 mL of contaminated secretions within the oropharynx within a 24-hour period. Placement of an endotracheal tube impedes the body’s natural defense against infection by negating effective cough reflexes and mucocilliary clearance of secretions.12 Impairment of the cough reflex, accumulation of contaminated secretions within the oropharynx, and placement of an endotracheal tube substantially increase the risk for VAP in critically ill patients.