Hospitals everywhere wrestle with the problem of ventilator acquired pneumonia (VAP) in their intensive care units.  At the University of  Pennsylvania Hospital, the e-ICU, with its 24/7 alarms set to go off any time one of a patient’s vital signs changes by 20% or more, has reduced the number of VAP incidences and cut costs by $138,000 over two years.  Besides the improved surveillance, the e-ICU offers better data capture than bedside nurses’ roundings.    MORE