REPLY
Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Critically Ill Patients
Deborah Cook, MD
15 June 1999 | Volume 130 Issue 12 | Page 1028
IN RESPONSE:
Dr. Kramer correctly describes the patients in our study as receiving mechanical ventilation for at least 48 hours. All patients required an endotracheal tube, and noninvasive ventilation was not used.
We share Dr. Kramer's interest in using precise language to describe research methods and results. As use of noninvasive ventilation increases, particularly as a strategy for liberating patients from conventional mechanical ventilation (1), new constructs may be useful to more clearly distinguish the temporal and etiologic relations between different life support technologies and nosocomial lung infection. We look forward to the evolution of this lexicon.
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Author and Article Information
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St. Joseph's Hospital; Hamilton, Ontario L8N 4A6, Canada (Cook)
1. Nava S, Ambrosino N, Clini E, Prato M, Orlando G, Vitacca M, et al. Noninvasive mechanical ventilation in the weaning of patients with respiratory failure due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A randomized, controlled trial Ann Intern Med. 1998;128:721-8.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
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