Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) are a concerning complication during hospital stays. In 2011, it was estimated that out of 722,000 calculated HAI’s, 157,500 were caused by Pneumonia (CDC.gov, 2015). Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP), a sub-category of Pneumonia, is a worldwide, challenging complication in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) setting of many hospitals. VAP often leads to not only increased mortality rates, but also an increase in comorbidity, and healthcare costs in the affected population. It has been estimated that VAP
As of 2013, Ventilator Associated Pneumonia has been renamed under the umbrella term Ventilator Associated Events (VAE), making it difficult to find statistics that specifically represent VAP incidences and …show more content…
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (How to Guide; Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia, 2012), and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (Nancy Munro, Margaret Ruggiero , 2014) have developed care bundles which contain a structure of recommended interventions to prevent VAP . Both of these organizations’ recommendations include the use of Chlorhexidine Gluconate oral rinse to prevent bacterial colonization in the oral cavity, and decreasing the accumulation of microorganisms in secretions. Chlorhexidine has been found to have broad spectrum, bacteriostatic and bacteriocidal properties (Andrew J. Mcbain, Robert G, Bartolo, Carl E. Catreniche, Duane Charbonneu, Ruth G, Ledder, and Peter Gilbert, 2003). As of 2003, the Center for Disease Control has yet to make recommendations on the use of Chlorhexidine oral mouthwash for VAP prevention. Which leads to the question: Is the use of oral Chlorhexidine for the prevention of Ventilator Associated Pneumonia effective and worth …show more content…
All studies required that the patients enrolled would require ventilation for at least 48 hours, and with the exception of Gholipour et al, were 18 years of age and older. In addition, Ozcaka et al also included only dentulous patients in their study. Gholipour et al included patients from the age of 15 up to 65 years old, and had a nasogastric tube in place. A common exclusion criteria between the studies was sensitivity or allergy to the oral care agent Chlorhexidine. Koeman et al, Gholipour et al,and Ozcaka et al excluded patients with immunocompromised status such as thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and HIV. Pregnancy was a common exclusion for both Ozcaka et al and Koeman et al. For further information on exclusion criteria specific to each study see the Appendix Table Of