Ventilator-associated pneumonia in intubated children: comparison of different diagnostic methods.

Objectives: To compare different methods for diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia in intubated children.

Design: Prospective epidemiologic study.

Setting: Pediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary care university hospital.

Reproducibility of blind protected bronchoalveolar lavage in mechanically ventilated children.

Blind protected bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) could be an interesting tool in the diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia in intubated children, but its reproducibility has never been evaluated. This study evaluates the reproducibility, feasibility, and safety of blind protected BAL in mechanically ventilated children. Two blind protected BAL were done, at a 2-hour interval, in 30 patients.