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Expired CO2 Measurement in Intubated or Spontaneously Breathing Patients from the Emergency Department

Expired CO2 Measurement in Intubated or Spontaneously Breathing Patients from the Emergency Department

Published on: January 29, 2011

Is COPD associated with increased risk for microaspiration in intubated critically ill patients?

Thècle Degroote¹, Emmanuelle Jaillette², Jean Reignier^3,4

¹Service de Médecine Intensive et Réanimation, Groupe Hospitalier Paris Saint-Joseph, Paris, France.

Annals of Intensive Care

|January 11, 2021

Abstract

Background:

Although COPD patients are at higher risk for aspiration when breathing spontaneously, no information is available on the risk for microaspiration in invasively ventilated COPD patients. The aim of our study was to determine the relationship between COPD and abundant microaspiration in intubated critically ill patients.

Methods:

This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data, provided by 3 randomized controlled trials on microaspiration in critically ill patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 48 h. Abundant microaspiration was defined as the presence of pepsin and or alpha-amylase at significant levels in tracheal aspirates. In all study patients, pepsin and alpha-amylase were quantitatively measured in all tracheal aspirates collected during a 48-h period. COPD was defined using spirometry criteria.

Results:

Among the 515 included patients, 70 (14%) had proven COPD. Pepsin and alpha-amylase were quantitatively measured in 3873 and 3764 tracheal aspirates, respectively. No significant difference was found in abundant microaspiration rate between COPD and non-COPD patients (62 of 70 patients (89%) vs 366 of 445 (82%) patients, p = 0.25). Similarly, no significant difference was found in abundant microaspiration of gastric contents (53% vs 45%, p = 0.28), oropharyngeal secretions (71% vs 71%, p = 0.99), or VAP (19% vs 22%, p = 0.65) rates between the two groups. No significant difference was found between COPD and non-COPD patients in duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU length of stay, or ICU mortality.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that COPD is not associated with increased risk for abundant microaspiration in intubated critically ill patients.

Keywords:

COPD Intubation Mechanical ventilation Microaspiration Pneumonia

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