Nosocomial Pneumonia

Multicenter, randomized open label clinical trial to evaluate IEM and HS as concomitant therapy for respiratory tract infection in patients under artificial ventilation in the ICU. Lung infection is a serious complication that may occur during hospital stay and may need artificial respiration or even develop during artificial ventilation for other causes. Current specific treatment consists of intravenous antibiotics. The current study evaluated whether aspiration and drainage of infected sputum helps curing this severe complication and whether nebulized HS has additional benefits, like loosening of secretions, eradicating bacteria or reducing inflammation.

Poor dental hygiene has been linked to respiratory pathogen colonization in ICU patients. Therefore, respiratory pathogens tend to colonize dental plaque and oral mucosa in these populations. Therefore, strategies to eliminate respiratory pathogens from the oral cavity may improve oral hygiene and decrease the development of nosocomial pneumonia.