Early Detection of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in a Neurosurgical Patient: Do Biomarkers Help Us?

While PCT has diagnostic value, IL-6 has superior predictive value for VAP, which is reflected in its high effect size and shorter duration of antibiotic treatment, although the difference was not significant. This study suggests that incorporating IL-6 as a routine biomarker may improve the early recognition of VAP, potentially optimizing treatment strategies in the neurosurgical ICU setting. However, the major limitation lies in the study's retrospective design, which limits its generalizability.