[Randomised clinical trial to compare two tracheotomy care methods in an Intensive Care Unit]

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Infectious Disease Prevention
• Surgical Site Infections

Background:

• Tracheotomy is a frequent procedure in Intensive Care Units (ICUs).
• Effective nursing care is crucial for minimizing complications like stoma infections and ensuring positive outcomes for critical patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of polyhexanide (PLX) versus saline with povidone iodine (PY) as antiseptics.
• To determine the incidence of infections in tracheostomies performed in ICUs.

Main Methods:

• A 2-year, experimental, randomized, open-label trial.
• Conducted in a 32-bed multidisciplinary ICU.
• Study approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Principality of Asturias.

Main Results:

• The overall infection rate was 1.34 per hundred patients.
• PLX group showed an infection rate of 1.46.
• PY group showed an infection rate of 1.21 (P=.685).

Conclusions:

• Polyhexanide (PLX) demonstrated effectiveness in other wound types but showed no significant difference compared to standard care for tracheostomies in this study.
• Further research is needed to establish usual infection rates due to the lack of a national registry for tracheotomy-associated infections.