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Moisture Exchangers Do Not Prevent Patient Contamination of Ventilators. A Microbiological Study
Author(s) -
Bygdeman S.,
Euler C. von,
Nystrom B.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1399-6576
pISSN - 0001-5172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-6576.1984.tb02126.x
Subject(s) - medicine , mechanical ventilator , respirator , contamination , anesthesia , intensive care medicine , surgery , mechanical ventilation , materials science , ecology , composite material , biology
Thirty‐three mechanically ventilated patients in an intensive care unit were studied in order to verify a claim that the Servo humidifier acts as a bacterial barrier. The Servo humidifier was used on all patients. It was changed once daily, and the connecting tubes were changed once weekly. Daily bacterial cultures were taken from the trachea of the patient as well as from the humidifier, the tubing and the ventilator. In 25 of the patients, the same bacterial strain as in the trachea of the patient could not be isolated from the outside of the humidifier, from the tubing or the ventilator. In eight patients a breakthrough of bacterial strains from the trachea through the humidifier could be demonstrated. In four of these eight patients the breakthrough strains appeared to establish themselves in the respirator environment, while in the other four they appeared only temporarily outside the humidifier. The clinical importance of the establishment of a bacterial strain in the ventilator is not clear, but it seems prudent that the introduction of the Servo humidifier should not lead to less stringent cleaning and/or disinfection routines of ventilators and tubing than before.