Benefits of Silver Coated Trachs Published
A study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association validates use of endotracheal tubes (ETT) with silver coating. The data was garnered from a prospective, randomized study completed at 54 different facilities across North America.
The silver tubes are of interest because they prevent biofilm development and bacterial colonization. The study was completed to examine whether patients who have silver coated ETTs placed are less likely to develop VAP confirmed pathologically. Almost 10,000 patients were screened for participation.
A total of 1,059 patients were randomized, all of whom had been intubated for a minimum of 24 hours. Patients were randomized to receive either a similar, uncoated tube or a silver ETT. Participating institutions include the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, and the Cleveland Clinic among others.
The researchers noted that the silver tubes were associated with a risk reduction in the likelihood of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Just under five percent of patients with silver-coated tubes developed VAP compared to 7.5 percent of the patients who had uncoated tubes.
An additional advantage of the silver coated tubes is a delay in the development of VAP, a finding that was statistically significant. The relative risk in disease reduction was 35.9 percent. The team nevertheless noted strategies to prevent the development of VAP because there is no one approach that can completely prevent development of VAP.
August 21, 2008 Related topics: Pulmonary, Quality, Safety, Errors, Hygiene & Cleanliness