ObjectiveTo carry out targeted surveillance on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) newly defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States in 2013, and to understand its applicability and influence on the prognosis, and infection rate and risk factors of the disease. MethodsTargeted surveillance was carried out on all patients receiving mechanical ventilation in the general ICU of our hospital between January and December 2014. VAP infection rate was studied, and patients were divided into groups based on the development of the disease. SPSS 18.0 was used for statistical analysis of the prognostic indicators. ResultsA total of 885 patients received mechanical ventilation and were monitored, 31 of whom had VAP. The VAP case infection rate was 3.5% and its daily infection rate was 3.9‰. The results of multiple factors regression analysis showed that age (OR=1.025, P=0.025) and combining other types of hospital infection (OR=4.874, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for the development of VAP. VAP was the independent risk factor for both length of stay in the ICU and length of mechanical ventilation (P<0.001), but it was not the independent risk factor for mortality in the ICU (P=0.515). ConclusionThe applicability of the newly defined ventilator-associated pneumonia may be under restrictions in developing countries. It may influence the outcomes of patients by prolonging the length of stay in ICU and the length of mechanical ventilation.