RISK score for developing ventilator-associated pneumonia in children: The RISVAP study

Objectives: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the second most common healthcare-associated infection in children. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors for VAP in children and to create a risk score for developing VAP (RISVAP score). Study design: It was a prospective observational study, including children who required mechanical ventilation (MV), registered in the multicentre ENVIN-HELICS database from 2014 to 2019. The regression coefficients of each independent risk factor for VAP were used to create the RISVAP score. Each factor scored 0 if it was absent, or, if it was present, an assigned value from 1 to 7, according to the regression coefficient. Results: A total of 3798 patients were included, 97(2.5%) developing VAP. The independent risk factors for VAP were: female (odds ratio [OR]: 1.642, p = 0.024), MV > 4 days (OR: 26.79, p < 0.001), length in pediatric intensive care unit > 7 days (OR: 11.74, p < 0.001), and previous colonisation (OR: 4.18, p < 0.001). The RISVAP was calculated for each patient as the sum of all the independent risk factors. Three risk groups were obtained: low (0–5 points), intermediate (6–12 points), and high risk for VAP (13–16 points). The area under the curve for the final score was 0.905 (95%confidence interval: 0.888–0.923, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The RISVAP is the first risk score for VAP in pediatric populations. Using this predictive score, might be helpful to detect vulnerable patients and therefore implement preventative strategies.