Critical care nursing quarterly
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Oral hygiene in seriously ill patients is a nursing responsibility. Oral hygiene regimens in conjunction with standardized ventilator-associated pneumonia "bundles" reduce the incidence of pneumonia, length of stay, and associated costs in critical care. ⋯ Oral care in this patient population, however, has remained vague based on ritual and nurse preference. This article describes the development of an oral care protocol based on best evidence, providing a rationale for standardization of oral hygiene and the plan for surveillance and updating.
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This article reports the results of a study on the effect of alcohol disinfection duration on bacterial load on catheter hubs. Three different levels of disinfection (3, 10, and 15 seconds) were analyzed as well as a positive and negative control. All hubs with the exception of the negative controls were contaminated with a 10 bacterial solution and allowed to dry for 24 hours. ⋯ The duration of disinfection did not significantly change the bacterial load on the hub. However, any disinfection duration significantly decreased the bacterial load as compared to the positive control. A larger study would likely detect a significant result among the disinfections.