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Murine Oropharyngeal Aspiration Model of Ventilator-associated and Hospital-acquired Bacterial Pneumonia
Published on: June 28, 2018
Mouth care to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia
Staja Booker1, Sharon Murff, Lisa Kitko
1Staja Booker is a student in the doctoral program at the University of Iowa College of Nursing, Iowa City. Sharon Murff is an assistant professor at Grambling State University School of Nursing, Grambling, LA. Lisa Kitko is an assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University School of Nursing, University Park, PA. Rita Jablonski is an associate professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Contact author: Staja Booker, booker3_06@yahoo.com. The authors and planners have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Overview:
Despite the well-established association between good oral hygiene and the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), the importance of mouth care in infection control is seldom recognized. The authors discuss the pathophysiology of VAP and why oral care is crucial to its prevention. They also provide an evidence-based, step-by-step guide to providing optimal oral care for intubated patients.
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