Postoperative nosocomial (hospital-associated) pneumonia is among the most serious complications of surgery. The mortality from these pneumonias is 30%, even with treatment with appropriate antibiotics. 2. The incidence of pneumonia in patients on ventilators averages 14 times that of patients not receiving mechanical ventilator support. These pneumonias are a major factor in the deaths of patients using ventilators. The design and necessary functions of ventilators contribute to bacterial colonization of the machinery, airway, and lungs. Burn patients also represent a particularly vulnerable group in relation to nosocomial pneumonia. 3. Health care workers can introduce organisms from the environment or the patient in the next bed by neglecting handwashing between patients. Some health care professionals think it is not necessary to change the gloves that protect them from bloodborne pathogens when moving between patients. Such erroneous beliefs add significantly to the patient's bacterial colonization, often with treatment-resistant organisms.
