Role of C-reactive Protein and Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha in Differentiating between Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia and Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome without Infectious Etiology

Differential diagnosis of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) with or without infectious cause is critically important in terms of initiating antimicrobial agents in case of infectious etiology such as ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic and prognostic roles of C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in differentiating between ventilator-associated pneumonia and SIRS without infectious etiology