Conventional endotracheal tubes have high intrinsic resistive properties due to their high outer-to-inner diameter ratio. This has significant disadvantages in the treatment of the small neonatal or pediatric patient as work of breathing increases with decreasing internal radius. Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including suctioning, may be very difficult in patients with small endotrache...

BACKGROUND One of the measures to keep the airway open is suctioning of endotracheal tube in patients under ventilation. This procedure can be accompanied with some complications. Selection of appropriate method of suctioning can prevent incidence of acute complications. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to compare the effects of the open and closed system suctioning methods on blood pressure, mean...

The aim of the current study was to investigate the differential effects of endotracheal suction on respiratory mechanics and gas exchange in patients with severe sepsis using pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) and volume-controlled ventilation (VCV). We prospectively included 76 patients with severe sepsis receiving mechanical ventilation due to acute respiratory failure (ARF). The effects ...

background: endotracheal suctioning (ets) is one of the most common supportive measures in intensive care units (icu). ets may be associated with complications including hypoxia and tachycardia. closed system suctioning (css) decreases the rate of cardiorespiratory complication mainly due to continuation of ventilatory support and oxygenation during procedure. css has questionable efficacy, the...

Objectives This retrospective study was undertaken to see whether implementation of the evidence based practices as a bundle would influence compliance and reduce the rates of VAP without necessary resorting to more expensive interventions such as subglottic endotracheal (ET) tube suctioning or for example silver-impregnated ET tubes. We utilized easily collectable data to rapidly assess whethe...

We were very interested in the study by Moreira et al.(1) as it reflects common and routine respiratory physiotherapy practices in intensive care units in Brazil and other countries. We appreciate the author’s effort in examining the evidence for this type of therapy. In this study, an improvement was observed in the ventilatory mechanics parameters after the application of a respiratory physio...

Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) has been extensively utilized in the treatment of severe hypoxemia from noncardiogenic pulmonary edema. The usefulness of therapy with PEEP in the management of lobar atelectasis has not been previously stressed. Recently, we observed four patients with lobar atelectasis who failed to respond to the usual conservative measures of endotracheal suctioning a...