Objective To explore the efficacy of continuous lateral rotation therapy ( CLRT) for the prevention of ventilator associated pneumonia ( VAP) . Methods Database of Medline and SinoMed were searched. Randomized and controlled trials assessing the efficacy of CLRT vs. placebo or conventional treatment for the prevention of VAP were included. Data were extracted on study population, exclusion and inclusion criteria, diagnostic criteria of VAP, incidence of VAP, ICU mortality, ICU length of stay, andduration of mechanical ventilation. The VAP incidence and mortality were extracted as dichotomous variables and the other parameters were extracted as continuous variables. The pooled analyses of VAP incidence and mortality were performed by using Review Manager 5. 0 software. The heterogeneity was analyzed by thestatistic I2 . Results A total of 5 clinical trials met the inclusion criteria. CLRT could reduce the incidence of VAP ( OR=0. 50,95% CI 0. 32-0. 78) , and the heterogeneity was not statistically significant. The impact of CLRT on the ICU mortality was insignificant. The ICU length of stay and duration of mechanical ventilationwere not significantly different between CLRT and control groups. Conclusion CLRT is beneficial for the prevention of VAP, whereas its impacts on other clinical outcomes such as the ICU mortality, ICU length of stay, and duration of mechanical ventilation require further investigations.
