The effectiveness of mouth-care practices for preventing ventilator Literature review

The effectiveness of mouth-care practices for preventing ventilator associated pneumonia in ventilated patients - Literature review Example This paper focuses upon ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), an avertable resultant of mechanical ventilation and intubation. VAP is essentially pneumonia that forms in intubated patients within the first 48 or so hours. It normally occurs in patients have been put on a mechanical ventilator support to aid their laboured breathing. As will be noted in the research findings, VAP is preventable through a number of interventions. According to the Institute of Healthcare Improvements, VAP prevention in intubated patients can be done by raising the head of ventilated patients’ beds up to 300, administering blockers such as gastric histamine, using sequential compression devices such as anticoagulants to inhibit venous thromboembolism. In addition, VAP can be averted in intubated patients by administering nurses exercising proper hand hygiene when performing intubation. Furthermore, interrupting daily sedation programs at 10 am to assess neurologic status is a key step aimed at pr eventing VAP in patients. As the dissertation will make clear, oral hygiene is of paramount importance when considering prevention and mitigating effects of VAP. By the end of this paper, it will be clear that coupling the aforementioned preventative bundles and timely oral hygiene measures such as tooth brushing can indeed prevent VAP occurrence. Therefore, this paper supports the premise that oral hygiene is paramount in dealing with and preventing VAP in ventilated patients.... Therefore, this paper supports the premise that oral hygiene is paramount in dealing with and preventing VAP in ventilated patients. Table of Contents 1.0 Abstract ......................................................................................................................... p. 2-3 2.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................... p. 5-6 3.0 Acknowledgements .........................................................................................................p.6 4.0 Literature Review ...........................................................................................................p. 6-8 5.0 Research Methods ..........................................................................................................p. 8-10 6.0 List of Tables 6.1 Findings of CHX study............................................................................................ p. 13 6.2 Incident of VAP i n neurologic patients of the ICU ................................................ p. 14 7.0 Findings ..........................................................................................................................p.10-19 8.0 Discussion ......................................................................................................................p. 19- 22 9.0 Conclusion and Recommendations .............................................................................. p. 22-23 10.0 References ..............................................................................................................p. 19-21 2.0 Introduction The writer of this review works as a nurse in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) situated within a large teaching hospital. The hospital is one of