Our study on the attributable mortality of VAP is the first that simultaneously accounts for the time of acquiring VAP, informative loss to follow-up after ICU discharge, and the existence of complex feedback relations between VAP and the evolution of disease severity. In contrast to the majority of previous reports, we detected a relatively limited attributable ICU mortality of VAP.

Background and objectives Increasing experimental evidence suggests that acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) may promote AKI. The primary objective of this study was to assess ARDS as a risk factor for AKI in critically ill patients.Design, setting, participants, & measurements This was an observational study on a prospective database fed by 18 intensive care units (ICUs). Patients with ICU stays .24 hours were enrolled over a 14-year period. ARDS was defined using the Berlin criteria and AKI was defined using the Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss of kidney function, and End-stage kidney disease criteria. Patients with AKI before ARDS onset were excluded.Results This study enrolled 8029 patients, including 1879 patients with ARDS. AKI occurred in 31.3% of patients and was more common in patients with ARDS (44.3% versus 27.4% in patients without ARDS; P,0.001). After adjustment for confounders, both mechanical ventilation without ARDS (odds ratio [OR], 4.34; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 3.71 to 5.10) and ARDS (OR, 11.01; 95% CI, 6.83 to 17.73) were independently associated with AKI. Hospital mortality was 14.2% (n=1140) and was higher in patients with ARDS (27.9% versus 10.0% in patients without ARDS; P,0.001) and in patients with AKI (27.6% versus 8.1% in those without AKI; P,0.001). AKI was associated with higher mortality in patients with ARDS (42.3% versus 20.2%; P,0.001).Conclusions ARDS was independently associated with AKI. This study suggests that ARDS should be considered as a risk factor for AKI in critically ill patients.

Intrahospital transport increases the risk of complications in ventilated critically ill patients. Continuous quality improvement programs should include specific procedures to minimize intrahospital transport-related risks.

These data indicate that procalcitonin may be a valuable early diagnostic and prognostic marker in patients with septic shock.