• Eva Åkerman, Catharina Larsson, and Anders Ersson.
• E. Åkerman, RNIC, PhD, MScN, Clinic of Intensive Care and Perioperative Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, 205 02, Malmö, Sweden.
• Nurs Crit Care. 2014 Jan 1; 19 (1): 34-41.

BackgroundStudies have shown a decreasing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) incidence after prophylactic interventions bundles. The use of closed suction systems (CSS) has been suggested beneficial as a prophylactic measure.AimTo investigate the effects of a CSS on VAP incidence, suction circuit contamination and adverse events (AEs) compared to an open suction system (OSS) approach in a general mixed intensive care unit (ICU).MethodsAdult patients on mechanical ventilation were consecutively included. Data were collected during four 1-month periods where CSS and OSS were used on an alternating basis. Airway cultures were obtained at intubation, after 72 h and every Monday. After changing CSS and at extubation, the catheter tip was cultured. AEs and desaturation events during suction were monitored.AnalyseDescriptive analysis and differences between the groups were analysed using comparative methods.ResultsNo differences in airway colonization at admission between the groups were detected (Table 2). The CSS group had a higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) III and also a non-significant increase in VAP incidence. Positive cultures were obtained in 50% of all the retrieved CSS catheters. There was no inter-patient contamination in either group. Six AEs versus one (CSS/OSS) related to tube-occlusion and secretion clogging was seen. Desaturations at suctioning were rare in both groups.ConclusionNo beneficial effects were seen on VAP incidence or inter-patient contamination compared to OSS. A high frequency of circuit contamination in the CSS group paralleled with experienced secretions clearance problems seem unfavourable and in concordance with previous studies.© 2013 The Authors. Nursing in Critical Care © 2013 British Association of Critical Care Nurses.

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