PreVent Project
Pneumonia (infection of the lungs) is the most common infection that very sick patients in intensive care units get, and is more common when patients are on breathing machines (ventilators). Pneumonia can lead to more time on a breathing machine and in the intensive care unit, and may lead to death. Doctors at Harborview Medical Center are trying to find out if special breathing tubes that reduce leaking of fluids from the mouth and throat into the lungs may reduce the risk of getting pneumonia. The goal is to improve patient health after severe illness.