The Intensive Care Unit at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and the investigators from the Clinical Research and Innovation in Pneumonia & Sepsis group at Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR) and the "http://www.ciberes.org/index.php?option=com_personal&view=personal&grupo_id=18&Itemid=29" Spanish network in respiratory diseases (CIBERES), led by Dr. Jordi Rello, participated in an global epidemiologic study of ventilator-associated pneumonia due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogen. Researchers determined that the odds of developing the disease were eight times higher in patients with prior P. aeruginosa colonization. The study, published this week in the "http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25054674" " "http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25054674" Critical Care Medicine, was conducted between March 2011 and March 2012. A total of 1,873 patients were enrolled at 56 ICUS in 11 countries across 4 regions in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific. All the participants were intubated and mechanically ventilated for 2 to 7 days and nearly the 15% ended with pneumonia at the ICU. P. aeruginosa is one of the most common causative pathogens of ventilator-associated pneumonia and one of the few pathogens independently associated with increased mortality. In this study, researchers confirmed that it is the most common pathogen among the patients affected with pneumonia, with a 4% rate. Despite researchers could not identify risk factors associated with P. Aeruginosa, they found that patients with a previous colonization of this pathogen were more likely to develop the disease. According to Dr. Rello, the findings have major implications for future studies because “open new perspectives to improve the treatment, and especially, to prevent complications”. The observational study also concluded that among the risk factors to develop ventilator-associated pneumonia are the antimicrobial therapies administered within 90 days and current hospitalization of more than or equal to 5 days.