Purpose of review: To highlight the importance of escalating pathogen resistance in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) along with diagnostic and treatment implications.
Recent findings: In a period of rising bacterial resistance, VAP remains an important infection occurring in critically ill patients. Risk factors for multidrug-resistant pathogens depend on both local epidemiology and host factors. New diagnostic techniques and antimicrobials can help with rapid bacterial identification and timely and appropriate treatment while avoiding emergence of bacterial resistance.
Summary: Clinicians should be aware of risk factors for multidrug-resistant pathogens causing VAP and also of particularities of diagnosis and treatment of this important clinical entity.