Lung collapse during postural repositioning in a mechanically ventilated patient, could it have been avoided? A case...

To analyse through a clinical case the need for comprehensive management of bronchial secretions by nurses, with a proactive and preventive character to improve mechanically ventilated patients' safety.

A 76-year-old man under invasive mechanical ventilation admitted to the ICU due to pulmonary infection, who presented subtotal left lung collapse during routine postural changes. Trying to recover the left lung ventilation, the patient was repositioned, an endotracheal suctioning and two recruitment manoeuvres were made without any ventilation improvement. The previous level of left ventilation was not achieved until secretions were completely eliminated after three more suctioning manoeuvres.

Critically ill patient care is complex, requiring general basic attention and monitoring, including the assessment of the risks that certain interventions and nursing care may entail for each individual patient. Both, postural repositioning and endotracheal suctioning constitutes tow integral parts of routine care for all mechanically ventilated patients. This case shows how the presence of deep secretions during postural repositioning can greatly affect the respiratory function, with no significant immediate or short-term changes observed on routine monitoring, as electrical impedance monitoring is not standard practice, so the changes described in this case would not have been observed in short term.

The implementation of a nursing integral care protocol for the management of secretions in mechanically ventilated patients, could be very useful in preventing adverse events, ineffective multiple endotracheal suctioning, which are not free of potential complications, and in reducing the need for deep airway clearance by fibrobronchoscopy.