Funding outcome

Babies in the hospital sometimes have trouble breathing, so doctors use a machine called a ventilator to help them. However, being on a ventilator can increase the risk of a lung infection called ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Right now, doctors don't have clear guidelines for diagnosing pneumonia specifically in newborns on ventilators, which makes it difficult to know how to prevent it. That's why we are conducting a pilot study. We will examine cases of pneumonia that occurred in the past three years in Edmonton to understand what went wrong and how we can improve to reduce the number of infections. We will also follow up with babies who had VAP to see if there are any long-term effects and how well they are recovering. By doing this study, we aim to greatly improve the care provided to babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Edmonton. The knowledge and best practices we gain from this research can also be shared with other NICUs across Canada, helping them provide better care as well.