Comparison of the Effect of Open and Closed Endotracheal Suction Systems on the Results of the Smear and Bacterial Culture in Patients under Mechanical Ventilation in Intensive Care Unit

Background :

Choosing the right method of suction can be effective in reducing its complications. Therefore, this study was performed to compare the effect of open and closed endotracheal suction systems on the results of the smear and bacterial culture in patients under mechanical ventilation in intensive care unit.

The present study was performed on 52 patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Patients were selected by convenience sampling method, and randomly divided into open and closed suction groups. Samples of patients' tracheal secretions were collected before the intervention and 72 hours later by minibal method under completely sterile conditions. Samples sent to the laboratory were incubated in a special culture medium at 37 °C for 24 hours; then the plates were examined in two groups and the results were compared.

There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups of open and closed suction in terms of the results of microbial culture of tracheal secretions. In the open suction group, 96.3% and in the closed suction group, 92% had positive culture results. In addition, the microbial strain of Acinetobacter had the highest prevalence in both open and closed suction groups, with 40.7% and 40.0%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of Gram-positive and Gram-negative masses in respiratory secretions.

There is no significant difference between open and closed endotracheal suctioning for endotracheal culture results, Gram positive and negative masses and bacterial types, and one system could not be preferred over the other.