Applicability of bag squeezing and zeep maneuvers in mechanically ventilated patients

To evaluate the applicability of the bag squeezing and zeep maneuvers in mechanically ventilated patients.

Twenty stable mechanically ventilated patients were studied. All patients were randomly allocated to either bag squeezing techinique followed by zeep maneuver, or the reversed sequence. Each group crossed to the other sequence four hours later. Heart rate, respiratory rate, peripheral oxygen saturation and blood pressure were measured before, during and after each technique use. The suctioned secretions were collected and measured. The data were analyzed by pairwise statistical analysis for inter-group comparisons, and ANOVA for each group results analysis.

The heart rate was significantly increased, from 92.6 ± 18.3 bpm to 99.8 ± 18.5 bpm and the peripheral oxygen saturation significantly decreased from 96.9 ± 3.0% to 94.5 ± 4.3% during the bag squeezing maneuver, although the values remained within the normal range. No significant changes were seen for the zeep maneuver. Peripheral oxygen saturation during the maneuvers was found to change when the techniques were compared. No differences were found for the suctionedsecretions amounts.

The results suggest that both techniques are feasible as they cause few hemodynamic changes, and both are effective for bronchial secretions removal.