PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jacobs, Sydney
AU  - Al Rasheed, Abdul Mohsen
AU  - Abdulsamat, Wadood
AU  - Al Barrak, Ali
AU  - Al Omer, Nasser Fawzan
AU  - Tjan, David
AU  - Zuleika, Mehrun
AU  - Ahmed, Faham
AU  - Enani, Mushera
TI  - Effects of a Simple Protocol on Infective Complications in Intensive Care Unit Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy
DP  - 2003 Jan 01
TA  - Respiratory Care
PG  - 29--37
VI  - 48
IP  - 1
4099  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/48/1/29.short
4100  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/48/1/29.full
AB  - In our intensive care unit we monitored infection in 228 patients who underwent percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT). In the first phase of the study 128 PDTs were performed during a 33-month period and there were 41 infection complications (nosocomial pneumonia, bacteremia with sepsis, and septic shock) in the perioperative period (immediately prior to and for 5 days after PDT). A significant risk factor among patients with nosocomial pneumonia was empirical administration of inappropriate antibiotics, compared to appropriate antibiotics (34% versus 4%, p < 0.001). In the second phase of the study (a 30-month period), a simple antibiotics protocol was prospectively applied to 100 PDT patients. The protocol virtually eliminated inappropriate antibiotic drug use immediately prior to PDT and contributed to a significant reduction in perioperative infective complications (pre-protocol 32% versus protocol 11%, p < 0.001).