[Reducing the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia following heart surgery: 13-year experience of epidemiologic surveillance in a teaching hospital].

Objectives: To report the results of 13 years worth of epidemiologic surveillance of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) following heart surgery and the main interventions applied in order to reduce VAP incidence.

Methods: This is a retrospective and descriptive study of active epidemiologic surveillance of VAP. National diagnostic criteria were used.