The conclusions include novelties such as the incorporation of new treatments that did not exist when the previous guidelines were drawn up. Changes have also been discussed regarding the definition of hospital-acquired pneumonia and the change has been proposed for the name of ventilator-associated pneumonia, which is due to the ventilation and not to the apparatus itself. The document recommends procedures such as subglottic suction or the half-sitting position, a strategy proposed by the team headed by Dr. Antoni Torres in The Lancet (354:1851-8) in 1999.
These documents are an indispensable tool for ensuring that patients receive care based on the most innovative scientific knowledge. The 20 points of consensus, which were reached thanks to this task force, provide the basis for developing future clinical guidelines and stimulate research in areas where the answers are still not completely satisfactory. The article indicates that it is impossible to completely eliminate pneumonia associated with stays in hospital but that there is a significant margin for improving on current results.