The Effective Usage Time of the Humidifier/Bactriel Filters in the Mechanical Ventilator Circuits
Guldem Turan · The Annals of Clinical and Analytical Medicine · 2011
Aim: Ventilator circuits consist of inspiratory and expiratory tubing and disposable humidifier / bacterial filtre. Today’s disposable humidifiers are both disposable and has bacterial filtre. In this study, we aimed to determine the time of the efficiency of these humidifier / bacterial filtre in avoiding the ventilator circuit bacterial contamination. Material and Methods: 32 patients who were mechanically ventilated at least 48 hours were included in this study. Sterile inspiratory and expiratory tubing with humidifier/ bacteriel filtre used in ventilator circuit and specimens were obtained from the endotracheal tube side and ventilator side of the humidifier/bacterial filters, water-traps and expiratory tubing side of the ventilator filter at 48th, 72 hours. Results: At 48th and 72 hour, bacterial colonizations were noted at the endotracheal tube side of the filtres and tracheal aspirate materials and no bacterial colonization were seen at the ventilator side of the humidifier/bacteriel filtres, water traps and at the expiratory tubing side of the ventilator filtres. Conclusions:midifier/bacteriel filtres those efficiency has been shown 72 hours in avoiding the ventilator circuit bacterial contamination. We think that; with additional study results, routine humidifier/bacteriel filtres changes can be done 72 hours.