RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Care bundles for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) have been shown to minimize the rate of VAP in critically ill patients. Standard care bundles may need to be modified in resource-constrained situations. The goal of this study was to see if our modified VAP-care bundles lowered the risk of VAP in neurosurgical patients. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted in mechanically ventilated neurosurgical patients. The VAP bundle was adjusted in the cohort group by increasing the frequency of intermittent endotracheal tube cuff pressure monitoring to six times a day while reducing oral care with 0.12% chlorhexidine to three times a day. The rate of VAP was compared to the historical control group. RESULTS: A total of 146 and 145 patients were enrolled in control and cohort groups, respectively. The mean age of patients was 52±16 years in both groups (P=0.803). The admission Glasgow coma scores were 7.79±2.67 and 7.80±2.77 in control and cohort group, respectively (P=0.969). VAP was found in nine patients in control group but only one patient in cohort group. The occurrence rate of VAP was significantly reduced in cohort group compared to control group (0.88/1,000 vs. 6.84/1,000 ventilator days, P=0.036). CONCLUSIONS: The modified VAP bundle is effective in lowering the VAP rate in critically ill neurosurgical patients. It requires low budget and manpower and can be employed in resource-constrained settings.
RESUMO
Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most common intensive care unit-acquired infection, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality as well as increased hospital costs. Objective: To determine the VAP rate before and after using the care bundle. Material and Method: A pre- and intervention study was conducted in the Neurosurgical Critical Care Unit (NCCU) at a university hospital between April 2012 and February 2013. This was compared with the twelve-month period before intervention. The six-element VAP prevention bundle called Suandok Model was implemented. It included 30-degree head elevation, bedside hand hygiene, oral chlorhexidine mouth care, inflating of the cuff of the endotracheal tube maintaining 20 to 25 mmHg, checking residual gastric content before feeding, and implementing a weaning protocol. Results: The samples before and after interventions were 66 and 68 cases, respectively. There were no significant differences between sex, age, GCS, diagnosis, and operation. The incidence rates of VAP in the intervention period showed a significant decrease (p = 0.001, 39.55 per 1,000 ventilator days vs. 13.30 per 1,000 ventilator days). Conclusion: The Suandok Model reduced VAP in NCCU patients.