Although lifesaving, mechanical ventilation predisposes patients to ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), which is the most serious respiratory infection, occurring in 23.5–39.3 % (12.2 to 22.4 cases per 1000 ventilator days) of intubated patients [1–2]. VAP accounts for more than half of all intensive care unit (ICU) antibiotic prescriptions being associated with multidrug-resistant organisms and overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics [3] and significant mortality (22–43 %) rates [1]. VAP is also an important contributing factor to other causes of death, particularly sepsis and multiple-organ failure.
