Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HAP) is a key factor affecting the clinical prognosis of critically ill patients undergoing long-term mechanical ventilation. In the past, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) was an important mean of monitoring complications of ventilator-associated infection, but it is highly controversial because of its high subjectivity, low specificity and poor sensitivity. Therefore, the definition of ventilator-associated event (VAE) was proposed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of USA in 2013, the monitoring definition adopts objective and quantitative criteria, which can better predict the clinical outcomes of patients. This paper summarizes the research progress of VAE in recent years, and provides some new ideas for better prevention and control of VAE.