[The prevention of hypoxemia during endotracheal suctioning]

This work shows a literature review on the methods of prevention of postsuctioning hypoxemia in critically ill patients under artificial ventilation. Such methods have been proposed and published in the last twenty years. After being organized, these data made it possible to identify the most common methods to prevent postsuctioning hypoxemia. These methods are hyperoxygenation, hyperinflation, hyperoxygenation with hyperinflation and the closed method of tracheal suctioning, which allows for a suction without the interruption of the patient's artificial ventilation. A critical analysis of these methods and techniques, emphasizing the conflicting and concordant aspects presented by the several authors studied, made it possible to identify the superiority of the hyperoxygenation with hyperinflation method through the ventilator and the closed method of tracheal suctioning in the prevention of hypoxemia.