Implementation, assessment and comparison of the T-Tube and pressure-support weaning protocols applied to the intensive care unit patients who had received mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours

• Published in: Revista Brasileira de terapia intensiva Vol. 19; no. 1; pp. 31 - 37
• Main Authors: Colombo, Tatiane, Boldrini, Aline Fiorillo, Juliano, Silvia Renata Rezek, Juliano, Maria Cecília Rezek, Houly, João Geraldo Simões, Gebara, Otavio Celso Eluf, Cividanes, Gil Vicente L, Catão, Elaine C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Brazil 01-03-2007
• ISSN: 0103-507X

Mechanical ventilation incurs significant morbidity and mortality, weaning intensive care unit patients is highly desirable, although it is usuallyconducted in an empirical manner. Thus, this article assessed a weaning protocol implementation and compared two different methods.
It was carried out a study involving 120 patients who had received mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours. These patients were randomlyassigned to undergo one of two weaning techniques: pressure-supportventilation + PEEP (PSP) technique, which was applied to the patients in equal days, forming the PSP group (PSPG) and the T-tube method (TT), applied in odd days and forming the TT group (TTG). Standardized protocols were followedfor each technique
The patients response to extubation revealed similar progress in both PSP and TT groups, but after the Chi-square statistical test, the benefits of using a weaning protocol was clear. One hundred nine (90.83%) of all patients, had a successful weaning and any noninvasive ventilation type was needed in a span time of 24 hours after extubation, and only eleven (9.17%), had an unsuccessful weaning.
Although this study didn't show any difference between the two methods applied, we could conclude that, the implementation of standardized weaning protocols can substantially decrease the patient's reintubation rate, promoting a downward trend in mortality and morbidity for these patients and shortening their hospital and intensive care units length of stay.