Some Basic Methods Of VAP Prevention

By Ruth Wilson


VAP means a ventilator associated pneumonia and it normally affects lungs of a patient mostly if he has been paced on a ventilator. Ventilator basically refers to a machine that is used to helps patients breathe through the use of a tube which is mostly placed on their noses, mouth or even on a hole in their neck. This disease occurs mostly if germs get to enter a patient through the ventilator tube when he is placed under the ventilator which then gets to the lungs. Basically there have been numerous guidelines which have been developed to aid in the VAP prevention.

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.

It has often been viewed that about a third of the patients whom gets this kind of infection mostly do not survive. This therefore creates a big role for the nurses to actually look for effective strategies to prevent the infection. Most recently there have improved CDC guidelines based on the deterrence method of controlling the infection but you find that nurses usually do not follow these guidelines.

In order to actually assist you patients effectively then one need to adequately know the methods in which the infection occurs, the basic recommended strategies and the reason as to why it is much critical to follow the laid down guidelines. Airway management is actually one of the deterrence method to contain this infection.

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 possible strategy is through a method called gastric reflux prevention. Basically most of the patients usually possess nasogastric tubes which are meant to predispose them to a gastric reflux. This actually increases the chances of risk of aspiration. An important strategy is to actually inhibit gastric reflux which is mostly controlled by nurses often regarded to as patient poisoning.

Oral care is another important strategy which needs to be carefully taken into consideration. The guidelines meant to control the infection basically suggest that implementation of an oropharyngeal cleaning as well as the decontamination program to be done to the patients whom are at a higher risk of getting the infection.

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.




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