Effects of Maintaining Cuff Pressure on the Occurrence of Ventilator Associated Pneumonia at a University Hospital in Egypt

Background: Pneumonia is the second most common nosocomial infection and a leading cause of death. Furthermore, the risk for pneumonia increases 3 to10 fold in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Aim of this Study: Is to investigate effect of maintaining the tracheal cuff pressure on the occurrence of ventilator associated pneumonia in critically ill patients. Material and Methods: a comparative study was used to carry out the research on one hundred and ten patients in pulmonary Intensive Care Unit at Mansoura University Hospital. Two tools were used to collect data about correlation between maintaining the tracheal cuff pressure and the occurrence of ventilator associated pneumonia. Results: High significant statistical difference was found between the study and control groups regarding CPIS score on the seventh day. (X2 = 10.53, p <0.001). So, most of study group has got CPIS <7 (96.4%) when compared to control group (74.5%). Moreover, significant differences were found between both groups regarding length of hospital stay and intubation. So, the study group demonstrated shorter length in both hospital stay and intubation than the control group. Conclusion: Maintaining cuff pressure between 20-30 cm H2O have decreased occurrence of VAP and have a significant reducing effect on the length of hospital stay and endotracheal intubation. Recommendation: Replication of the study on a large probability sample selected from different critical care units in Egypt. Furthermore, studying the barriers that hinder the nurses to maintain endotracheal cuff pressure