The Comparative Evaluation of Active and Passive Humidifiers on Ventilator-associated Pneumonia

Abstract

Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is considered a common infectious disease in the intensive care units (ICU) and it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Therefore, humidifying the artificial airway is important care for patients under mechanical ventilation in the ICU. Objectives: The present study aimed to compare the effect of using active and passive humidifiers on VAP in ICU patients. Methods: The samples of this clinical trial included 80 patients under mechanical ventilation who were selected by simple sampling method and randomly assigned to two groups of 40 cases. Active and passive humidifiers were applied in the first and second groups, respectively. In addition, data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS) checklist. Patients were assessed for seven days (days one, three, and seven) in terms of VAP incidence rate. Finally, data were analyzed by the SPSS software, version 16 using independent t-test and Fischer’s exact test. Results: The heated humidifier standard (HHS) and heat and moisture exchangers (HME) groups were homogeneous with regard to the rate of VAP incidence, indicating no significant difference on days three (P=0.239) and seven (P=0.370). Further, the number of patients with VAP was clinically higher in the HHS group (52.5%) compared to the HME group (42.5%). Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, no significant difference was found between the research groups regarding VAP incidence. However, humidifiers are suggested to be selected based on the needs of the patents and duration of ventilation.

Keywords

• mechanical ventilation
• ventilator-associated pneumonia
• active and passive humidifiers
• intensive care unit