In collaboration with the Swiss Society of Intensive Care Medicine (SSMI), Swissnoso is currently setting up a pilot project for the surveillance of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

Hospital-acquired (nosocomial) pneumonia is one of the most common healthcare-associated infections. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a subgroup of hospital-acquired pneumonia and affects up to 1/6 of all individuals receiving invasive ventilation. They significantly increase the mortality rate in those affected, resulting in prolonged ventilation and length of hospital treatment, leading to higher healthcare costs. Studies have shown surveillance and prevention measures to reduce the incidence of VAP, as demonstrated in a 2018 study in Geneva (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-018-5227-4).

This pilot project is expected to be conducted at several tertiary-care hospitals. It serves to epidemiologically record VAP to determine whether it is a relevant problem in Swiss intensive care units. It will then be decided whether VAP surveillance should be continued at a national level. As a result, intervention modules can be developed with to reduce the rate of these pneumonias.

The pilot project planning is financially supported by the Federal Office of Public Health.

Status January 2024