- Patients included in this study will be those admitted to the trauma intensive care unit (TICU) of Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) hospital. All patients admitted to the TICU who are intubated and mechanically ventilated within 24-48 hours of admission will be eligible for study admission, with the exception of those demonstrating the following exclusion criteria: a) a witnessed aspiration (to eliminate patients with chemical pneumonitis); b) a confirmed diagnosis of post-obstructive pneumonia (e.g. advanced lung cancer); c) a known hypersensitivity to CHX; d) patients for whom consent can not be obtained; e) a diagnosed thrombocytopenia (platelet count less than 40 and/or a INR above 2) or other coagulopathy; f) a do not intubate order; g) children under the age of 18 years; h) Pregnant women; i) Legal incarceration; j) If transferred from another ICU; k) Those with oral mucositis; l) Those with immunosuppression (either-HIV or drug induced [e.g. organ transplant patients or those on long term steroid therapy]); m) Patients re-admitted to the TICU