• Nuria Chivite Fernández, Amparo Martínez Oroz, Mercedes Marraco Bonmcompte, Miguel Angel Navarro García, E Salvador Nuin, José Luis Gómez de Segura Nieva, and Begoña Bermejo Fraile.
• DUE, Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, Hospital de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. nuchivi@yahoo.es
• Enferm Intensiva. 2005 Oct 1; 16 (4): 143-52.

UnlabelledAspiration of secretions is a usual nursing technique in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation that may be the cause of increased Intracranial Pressure (ICP).ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the repercussion of a muscle relaxant on ICP with secretion aspiration.MethodClinical trial using the same patient as case and control, performing two endotracheal aspirations in each patients, on of them after administration of a muscle relaxant (Cis-Atracurium) and another no. The bolus administration of the relaxant in the first or second aspiration was done randomly. Thirteen patients with intraparenchymatous ICP measurement catheter were studied within the first 36 hours post-placement and with sedoanalgesia for a score of 6 on the Ramsay scale. ICP and CPP were measured before, during and after each aspiration.Statistical MethodSPSS 11.0 program was used. Data analysis by Student's t test for paired data. Statistical significance level accepted was 95%.ResultsOn comparing the cases in which muscle relaxant was administered with those in which it was not administered, statistically significant differences were found in the ICP and CCP values during secretion aspiration.ConclusionsAccording to the data obtained in the study, a lower increase of ICP was observed during secretion aspiration in those cases in which muscle relaxant was administered prior to the aspiration.

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