Does ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis need antibiotic treatment?

It is difficult to define ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis (VAT). The most accepted definition includes fever (temperature > 38 degrees C), new or increased sputum production, a microbiologically positive respiratory sample with counts above the accepted thresholds and absence of pulmonary infiltrates on chest X-ray. Although we have no doubt that this pathologic process exists, the main controversy lies on whether this entity has any impact on the outcome and, thus, a specific therapeutic approach is suitable. We will discuss the strengths and drawbacks of the article on this topic published in this issue by Nseir et al.