The other day I was doing a routine Critical Care ward round and came to a patient who was on a mechanical ventilator, having been admitted 3 days earlier from theatres following surgery for a perforated bowel. They had been ventilated since admission. However overnight the patients ventilatory requirements had increased a bit (slightly higher ventilation pressures and a bit more oxygen), their white blood cells had gone up as had their CRP and the nurses were getting a bit more “muck” up off their chest. The Critical Care Consultant looked at that mornings chest x-ray and identified some patchy infiltrates (shadowing).
“So the patient has ventilator-associated pneumonia!” the junior doctor declared reaching for the drug chart. The Critical Care Consultant and I exchanged a glance…
“So the patient has ventilator-associated pneumonia!” the junior doctor declared reaching for the drug chart. The Critical Care Consultant and I exchanged a glance…
Our computer is in intensive care...we're awaiting a replacement due to the blue screen of death!
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