Abstract
We conducted this study to compare the quantity of secretions removed with a closed-circuit suction catheter (Ballard Trach-Care) to that removed with a conventional suction catheter. METHODS: Adult patients receiving chest physiotherapy at 4- or 6-hour intervals were studied. For two consecutive treatments, they were suctioned with a Ballard catheter during one treatment and with a conventional catheter during the other treatment. The order was randomly assigned, and both catheters were used on the same shift. A suction pressure of 120 torr and size 14-Fr catheters were used. All sputum obtained during each treatment was collected in a Luken's trap, and the mass of the secretions was determined with an O-Haus Cent-O-Gram balance. Twenty-eight comparisons of results with the two catheters were made in 25 patients (16 men, 9 women, median age 59 yr, median 8 days of intubation). The median PEEP was 3 cm H2O (range 0-10); the median Fio, was 0.45 (range 0.30-0.80). RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the quantities of secretions removed with the Ballard closed-circuit catheter (median 1.7 g) and with the conventional catheter (1.9 g) (p = 0.88). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this short-term study suggest that the Ballard catheter removes secretions as effectively as does a conventional catheter. Further work is needed to evaluate the Ballard's effectiveness during prolonged use and the cost of using the Ballard versus a conventional suction catheter.
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