Abstract

RIOS SANTANA, Carlos  and  AIRA SIFONTE, Yanet. Behavior of mechanical ventilation-associated pneumonia. Rev Cubana Enfermer [online]. 2005, vol.21, n.2, pp. 1-1. ISSN 1561-2961.

The functional stability of the lung is closely related to the defense mechanisms own of its structure. When these mechanisms are deteriorated they cause infections leading to pneumonias and, among them, to the ones associated with mechanical ventilation. This paper was aimed at evaluating the behavior of the pneumonias associated with ventilation as an indicator of the quality of assistance. A descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken. Of 141 individuals that developed this affection at the Pediatric Hospital of Camagüey from January 2002 to December 2003, a sample of 35 patients was taken by the EPIDAT method. To obtain the primary data, all the medical histories were reviewed and a questionnaire was made with the following variables: age group, sex, affections that propitiated ventilation, mobilization of the patient according to the disease, time of appearance of the symptoms and evolution of pneumonias. 13 patients (37.41 %) aged 11-13 were among the most vulnerable to present mechanical ventilator-associated pneumonia. The male sex predominated with 22 patients accounting for 62.8 % of the entities for which mechanical ventilation was indicated. Polytrauma and the cranioencephalic traumatisms were the most representative (40 %), eventhough 28.5 % of the latter could not be mobilized due to their base affection. The taking of preventive measures made possible that most of the patients (p<0,05) had a favorable evolution. The symptoms of this affection appeared in a period of 4-6 days in 11 patients (31.4 %). 30 patients evolved favorably, which showed the good quality of assistance and of the nursing attention existing in the hospital.

Keywords : Ventilator-associated pneumonia; cranioencephalic traumatism; artificial mechanical ventilation.