EVALUATION OF THE ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECT OF CHLOREXIDINE 0.12% IN PATIENTS IN THE ICU AT DIFFERENT TIMES: RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the antimicrobial effect of 0.12% chlorhexidine aqueous solution under the buccal microbiota of patients undergoing mechanical ventilation in intensive care units (ICUs), analyzing the effect of this substance after 6, 8, and 12 hours of oral hygiene. Study Design: Thirty patients admitted to the ICUs of a hospital in Aracaju-SE, selected by for convenience December 2017 to January 2018, which met the inclusion criteria were randomized and divided equally into 3 groups. Oral hygiene followed the disinfection protocol adopted by the hospital, the same recommended by the Association of Brazilian Intensive Medicine. Samples of saliva were collected before, immediately after, and after 6, 8, and 12 hours according to each group. The evaluation by the technique of bacterioscopy also called Gram staining, the results were tabulated in worksheets and analyzed through the Fisher and 1-way analysis of variance tests. Results: This study showed that even in critical patients, which is common to the alteration of the normal microbiota, the aqueous solution of chlorhexidine 0.12% was also efficient as an oral disinfection agent. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the 12-hour interval still seems to be the most interesting if we consider the cost and risks regarding the greater amount of manipulation of fluids in the oral cavity of patients on mechanical ventilation.