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Best Strategies For VAP Prevention


By Ruth Wilson


Ventilators associated pneumonia which is mostly known as VAP is actually a type of nosocomial pneumonia that mostly occurs to the patients who are under mechanical ventilator for more than two days. This disease has been associated with an increase in mortality as well as morbidity among patients. It has also significantly contributed to huge hospital bills. Basically the VAP prevention guidelines usually begin from the time of incubation and should actually be extended till the extubation period.

This kind of infection generally accounts for the most acquired hospital infections which is acquired mostly by the patients whom are ventilated. Mostly when patients gets infected with this disease then it implies that their stay in the ICU is prolonged while at the same time the costs based on treatment tends to increase.

Nurses are usually advised to keenly follow the guidelines laid in order to prevent numerous cases of the infection. Mostly you find that although they have been clear laid guidelines on the deterrence measures of this diseases but mostly the nurses have been on blame since they are reluctant to keenly follow up the laid strategies.

Oral decontamination is another possible measure to undertake. This method is usually meant to reduce the bacterial especially within the oral cavity of a patient. This method can actually be achieved by both the pharmacological as well as mechanical intervention methods. The mechanical intervention methods basically include brushing of teeth together with the rinsing of oral cavity meant to dental plaque.

This basically means that laying down strategies in order to limit the time a given patient requires while under mechanical ventilation. The guidelines laid typically requires the putting in place the use of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation supplied continuously through the face or even the nose mask rather than incubating. Nurses are also advised to try actually remove the ET tube in the patient soonest possible and basically to try all possible means in order to avoid endotracheal intubation repeat.

Another laid guideline is the use of gastric reflux prevention method. Mostly you will actually find that some patients having a nasogastric tube which basically predispose them to a gastric reflux. This is usually attributed to the fact of increased chances of aspiration risk. A well informed guideline is to possibly prevent with all means the gastric reflux which is mostly the task of nurses as it is prone to patient poisoning.

Mostly these beds are usually expensive and not necessarily for continuous use in the inhibition of VAP. Additionally adoption of strategies meant to inhibit the colonization can be used as methods of inhibiting the risk of the infection. Basically due to the existence of endotracheal tube which is mostly associated with predisposing of patients to threats of infections, then this demands assessments of patients on daily basis for weaning as well as extubation.

One of the basic changes in the strategies is to ensure that the respiratory equipment get to be changed on regular basis. Mostly you find that the CDCs do not usually recommend regular changes in the equipment especially the ventilator circuit unless the entire functioning of the equipment is impaired. Studies have actually revealed that regular changes of the equipment contributes greatly to the prevention of VAP.