%0 Journal Article %A Candela Solé-Lleonart %A Jean-Jacques Rouby %A Jean Chastre %A Garyfallia Poulakou %A Lucy B Palmer %A Stijn Blot %A Tim Felton %A Matteo Bassetti %A Charles-Eduard Luyt %A Joao Manuel Pereira %A Jordi Riera %A Tobias Welte %A Jason A Roberts %A Jordi Rello %T Intratracheal Administration of Antimicrobial Agents in Mechanically Ventilated Adults: An International Survey on Delivery Practices and Safety %D 2016 %R 10.4187/respcare.04519 %J Respiratory Care %P 1008-1014 %V 61 %N 8 %X BACKGROUND: Intratracheal antibiotic administration is increasingly used for treating respiratory infections. Limited information is available on delivery devices, techniques, and safety.METHODS: An online survey on intratracheal administration of anti-infective agents in mechanically ventilated adults was answered by health-care workers from 192 ICUs to assess the most commonly used devices, current delivery practices, and safety issues. We investigated whether ICU usage experience (≥3 y) impacted its performance.RESULTS: Intratracheal antibiotic administration was a current practice in 87 ICUs (45.3%), with 40 (46%) having experience with the technique (≥3 y). Sixty-six (78.6%) of 84 health-care workers reported avoiding intratracheal antibiotic administration due to an absence of evidence-based guidelines (78.6%). Jet nebulizers were the most commonly used devices for delivery, in 24 less experienced ICUs (27.6%) and in 18 (20.7%) experienced ICUs. Direct tracheal instillation (6; 6.9%) was still considered for drug prescription in 12 ICUs (6.9%). More experience resulted in neither greater adherence to measures improving the drug's delivery efficiency (93 measures in the experienced group; 27.9%) nor a greater adoption of measures to increase safety. Indeed, the expiratory filter was changed after each nebulization in only 2 experienced ICUs (6.9%), whereas 15 (51.7%) changed it daily instead.CONCLUSIONS: Intratracheal antibiotic administration is a common therapeutic modality in ICUs, but inadequate practices were widely encountered, independent of the level of experience with the technique. This suggests a need to develop standardization to reduce variability and improve safety and efficacy. %U https://rc.rcjournal.com/content/respcare/61/8/1008.full.pdf