Blue LEDs in Endotracheal Tubes May Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

Abstract

Background:

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most common nosocomial infections in intensive care units, which not only leads to prolonged hospital stays and higher treatment costs but is also associated with high mortality.

Objective:

An approach to equip endotracheal tubes (ETT) with blue LEDs for photoinactivation of bacterial pathogens in the trachea is suggested and tested on a Staphylococcus strain.

Materials and methods:

With 48 small 450 nm LEDs, integrated in a conventional ETT, a homogenous irradiation intensity of up to 13.4 mW/cm² on the outer endotracheal surface is achieved and used for the irradiation of a Staphylococcus carnosus solution in an experimental tracheal model.

Results:

Applying LED currents of 5 and 10 mA, the bacterial concentration in the test solution is successfully reduced by three log levels within 9 and 6 h, respectively.

Conclusions:

From a technical and medical point of view, the approach of integrating blue LEDs in an ETT is very promising and should be further investigated, since it may prevent VAP. While equipping an ETT with LEDs produces additional costs, cutting the rate of VAP can also bring a major financial relief for health care systems.