We have all heard stories of patients getting sick in the hospital. Unfortunately, this can happen with an illness called Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) that occurs in people who are on mechanical ventilation.

It is a costly disease, physically and financially. VAP often increases the length of a patient’s hospital stay by about 13 days, increases the severity of illness and death by 30 percent to 50 percent respectively, and increases medical costs by approximately $40,000 per episode. VAP is something hospitals want to avoid at all costs.

In October 2004, Palmetto Health Baptist in Columbia identified an unacceptable trend: One in every two patients on mechanical ventilation was contracting VAP. Hospital administrators and staff set a goal to reduce VAP by 50 percent, and began implementing a strategy by educating nurses, technicians and respiratory therapists on better sterilization and patient care practices. Strict hand washing policies also were implemented. More attention was paid to patients’ oral care while on a ventilator.

The results stunned even Palmetto Health Baptist. In three months, the hospital was VAP-free. As of December 2007, the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has gone 18 months without any cases of VAP. According to Palmetto Health Baptist’s Infection Control Department, an estimated 17 cases of VAPs were prevented, up to eight lives were saved, and an estimated $680,000 in costs were avoided. Says ICU Nurse Manager Brown Cantrell, “It just proves the little things we do are often the most important. No detail is too small to change to realize a major improvement.”