Landelle C, et al. - In this prospective, interventional, single-center, cohort study, experts studied the effect of a multifaceted program for reducing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) after implementing nine preventive measures, including selective oropharyngeal decontamination (SOD). In a cohort of patients who received mechanical ventilation (MV) for > 48 hours, they compared VAP rates during an 8-month pre-intervention period, a 12-month intervention period, and an 11-month post-intervention period. Findings suggested an association of the introduction of a multifaceted prevention program on VAP with an important and sustained reduction in the incidence of VAP. They found that SOD provides an additive effect. For patients ventilated > 48 hours between the pre- and post-intervention periods, they noted a significant reduction of days of therapy per 1,000 patient-days of broad-spectrum antibiotic used to treat lower respiratory tract infection, median duration of MV and intensive care unit mortality.