Visual Cue as Prevention of Pulmonary Infection Under Mechanical Ventilation

Pulmonary Infection

Nosocomial pneumonia is the third causes of nosocomial infection. In intensive care unit, their incidence is even higher, of the order of 10 to 30% in patients with invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). One of the main mechanisms behind VAP (Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia) is the passage of germs colonizing the oropharynx to the subglottic airways. The presence of a nasogastric tube, immobilization, and strict dorsal decubitus increase the risk of colonization of the tracheobronchial tree and pneumonia in these patients. To reduce the incidence of VAP, several strategies have been developed in intensive care to try to control these different risk factors. These sets of measures, also called bundle systematically include the control of the elevation of the patient's head more than 30 °. Nevertheless, the strict and permanent control of the elevation of the patient's head is difficult to obtain. One of the reasons that may explain the difficulty of ensuring a correct elevation is the absence of visual cues that are easy to obtain on the beds of patients. An easily identifiable visual cue at the head of the bed would probably provide a satisfactory elevation (greater than 30 °) in patients intubated in intensive care. Our hypothesis is that the addition to the head of the patient's bed of a visible mark that is easily visible and easily interpretable by all the nurses will improve the elevation of the head of the patients in intensive care.

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