Incidence of endotracheal tube colonization with the use of PneuX endotracheal tubes in patients following cardiac surgery

Abstract

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) develops in up to 25% of patients following cardiac surgery. Colonization of the endotracheal tube (ETT) contributes to VAP. The PneuX ETT has been shown to halve VAP in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery. This article reports on the secondary analysis of bacterial colonization in relation to VAP between the PneuX and standard ETTs. In this randomized controlled trial, patients were randomized on a 1:1 basis to Group A (PneuX ET, N=120) or Group B (standard ETT, N=120). Patients aged >70 years with or without impaired left ventricular function (<50%) undergoing elective and urgent cardiac surgery were included in this study. Incidence of postoperative VAP and analysis ofbacterial colonization within the ETT (N=234) were measured for patients requiring <24 h, 24-48 h and >48 h of intubation. Baseline patient demographics were comparable. VAP was lower in Group A compared with Group B (10.8% vs 21%; P=0.03). The incidence of VAP was lower at each time point for Group A. There was a lower incidence of ETT colonization in Group A for patients needing >48 h of intubation. There was no difference in the type of bacterial colonization (P=0.5) or the mean number of colony-forming units [4.35x107 (1.18x108) and 2.16x108 (1.24x109) in Groups A and B, respectively (P=0.8)]. Colonization of the ETT does not seem to play an important role in early-onset VAP. There is a tendency for reduced colonization in the PneuX ETT with longer intubation times. This may have an impact on reducing the incidence of late-onset VAP.