The clinical utility of invasive diagnostic techniques in the setting of ventilator-associated pneumonia

Introduction: Despite lack of evidence from randomized trials, bronchoscopy with protected brush catheter (PBC) and bronchoaveolar lavage (BAL) has been advocated for use in critically ill patients with a suspicion of ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP). We conducted a prospective cohort study in ten tertiary care Intensive Care Units (ICU) in Canada to determine the clinical utility of invasive diagnostic techniques. Methods: Ninety-two …