INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT PRESSURE MONITORING INTERVALS ON VENTILATOR-ASSOCIATED PNEUMONIA

Objective: To determine the effective duration of monitoring of endotracheal catheter cuff pressure, in order to provide a guide for selecting appropriate respiratory tract management methods for critically-ill patients. Methods: A total 71 patients in integrated ICU who received endotracheal intubation and underwent mechanical ventilation for more than 48 h were divided into control group (37 cases) and observation group (34 cases) based on order of hospital visit. Cuff pressure was monitored in the observation group at 6-h intervals, and in the control group every 4 h, in order to adjust the cuff pressure to the acceptable level of 30 cm H2O. Acceptable cuff pressum, incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), and VAPrelated mortality were compared between the two groups. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to cases with accepted cuff pressure (97.09 % in the observation group, and 97.61 % in the control group; p > 0.05). Moreover, there were no significant differences in the incidence of VAP and VAP-associated mortality between the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: It is important to monitor and calibrate the endotracheal catheter cuff pressure of critically-ill patients every 6 h so as to ensure stable cuff pressure in order to reduce the incidence of VAP and YAP-related mortality. This approach can be can be used clinically for management of VAP.