To estimate all-cause mortality in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and determine whether antibiotic duration beyond 8 days is associated with reduction in all-cause mortality in patients admitted with VAP in the intensive care unit.

A prospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with VAP based on the National Healthcare Safety Network definition and clinical criteria.

Single tertiary care hospital in Southern India.

100 consecutive adult patients diagnosed with VAP were followed up for 28 days postdiagnosis or until discharge.

The incidence of mortality at 28 days postdiagnosis was measured. Tests for association and predictors of mortality were determined using ² test and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Secondary outcomes included baseline clinical parameters such as age, underlying comorbidities as well as measuring total length of stay, number of ventilator-free days and antibiotic-free days.

The overall case fatality rate due to VAP was 46%. There was no statistically significant difference in mortality rates between those receiving shorter antibiotic duration (5–8 days) and those on longer therapy. Among those who survived until day 9, the observed risk difference was 15.1% between both groups, with an HR of 1.057 (95% CI 0.26 to 4.28). In 70.4% of isolates, non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli were identified, of which the most common pathogen isolated was Acinetobacter baumannii (62%).

In this hospital-based cohort study, there is insufficient evidence to suggest that prolonging antibiotic duration beyond 8 days in patients with VAP improves survival.

This cross-sectional comparative study aimed to analyse and compare the story-grammar components in Tamil-speaking children with and without hearing impairment (HI) narratives.

The study used a cross-sectional, comparative design to assess and compare narrative structures.

Data were collected at the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research in Chennai, India.

30 children participated in the study, including 15 children with severe to profound hearing loss who used cochlear implants and 15 with normal hearing. The participants were language-age-matched children aged 3–5 years, proficient in Tamil.

No specific interventions were implemented in this study.

The primary outcome measures focused on story-grammar components, including settings, characters, initiating events, internal plans, attempts, outcomes, and resolution. These components were evaluated through narrative retellings by the children.

Analysis of the narratives revealed significant differences between the two groups. Children with normal hearing demonstrated a higher representation of story-grammar elements than children with HI.

The findings suggest that children with normal hearing exhibit a more proficient understanding and utilisation of story structure in their story-telling than children with HI. This study highlights the importance of narrative analysis in language assessment, particularly for children with HI. Tailored interventions incorporating appropriate language stimulation techniques are needed to enhance children’s narrative skills with HI. Further research in this area is warranted.