Comparison of the effects of ranitidine and pantoprazole on incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia

Background and Aim: Patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) have high morbidity and mortality. Some evidence suggests that aspiration of the colonized oropharyngeal and gastric contents can be a risk factor for the incidence of VAP in patients undergoing endotracheal intubation. In this study, we sought to compare the effects of ranitidine and pantoprazole on VAP incidence.Subjects and Methods: In this double-blind clinical trial, ۱۸۰ patients undergoing endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation were assigned to two groups based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Prophylaxis with pantoprazole and ranitidine was administered for the two groups (n=۹۰ each), and then the patients were followed up for the detection of VAP and clinical signs of pneumonia. Finally, the patients’ demographic and clinical data were analyzed in SPSS, version ۱۸.Results: Of the ۱۸۰ patients enrolled in the study, ۳۶ (۲۰%) patients were diagnosed with VAP, ۱۹ (۵۲.۷%) of whom belonged to the Ranitidine group, and ۱۷ (۴۷.۲%) pertained to the Pantoprazole group (P=۰.۱). The daily risk for VAP in the two groups and each group separately was ۱.۷%.Conclusion: Pantoprazole and ranitidine have similar effects on the incidence of pneumonia caused by endotracheal intubation. However, further studies are recommended due to the lack of convincing evidence.

Keywords:

Pantoprazole , Ranitidine , Ventilator-associated pneumonia