Objective To analyze the pathogenic characteristics and drug resistance of patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia(VAP),and provide guidance for the early treatment of patients with VAP.Methods 202 cases of patients with VAP in the intensive care unit from May 2018 to May 2023 were enrolled retrospectively in the study. VITEK2-Compact automatic bacterial analyser and VITEK MS automatic rapid microbiological mass spectrometry system were used for bacterial identification. Drug sensitivity tests were performed using the K-B paper diffusion method and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). The distribution of pathogenic bacteria was counted. The drug resistance characteristics of the main pathogenic bacteria were analyzed. The distribution of pathogenic bacteria and drug resistance were analyzed. Results A total of 252 strains of pathogens were isolated from the 202 patients with VAP,of which 218 strains were bacteria(86.50%),and the bacteria included 168 strains of gram-negative bacteria (66.67%)and 28 strains of gram-positive bacteria(11.11%),and the main pathogens were predominantly gram-negative including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii;34 strains were fungal(13.49%),mainly Candida albicans. Among them,Pseudomonas aeruginosa has a relatively high resistance rate to ticarcillin clavulanic acid and ampicillin,with resistance rates of 50.00% and 53.33%,respectively. Its resistance rates to cefepime,tobramycin,and polymyxin were relatively low,with resistance rates of 14.6%,12.5%,and 6.25%,respectively;Acinetobacter baumannii has the highest resistance rate to ticarcillin clavulanic acid,at 80.0%. It is more sensitive to tigecycline,with a resistance rate of 6.67%,and fully sensitive to polymyxin. Conclusion The pathogens of infection in patients with VAP were mainly Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. It is recommended to refer to pathogenic bacteria and their drug sensitivity spectrum to select antibiotics reasonably,providing guidance for timely and effective treatment of VAP.