Journal of hospital medicine : an official publication of the Society of Hospital Medicine
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Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is widely recognized as a serious and common complication associated with high morbidity and high costs. Given the complexity of caring for heterogeneous populations in the intensive care unit (ICU), however, there is still uncertainty regarding how to diagnose and manage VAP. ⋯ We present practical algorithms for diagnosing and managing VAP in mechanically ventilated patients. These algorithms may provide evidence-based real-time guidance to clinicians seeking a standardized approach to diagnosing and managing this challenging problem.