Abstract
Background: Endotracheal suctioning is designed to efficiently eliminating broncho-pulmonary secretions from the airway while avoiding the potential hazards of ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP). However, the cost of frequent tracheal suctioning for ventilated neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has become a concern. One major cost component to provide this nursing care in a competent way is the use of a disposable suction catheter each time. The aim of the present study was to train nurses about applying disinfection technique for safe reuse of disposable suction catheters for neonates on mechanical ventilation, and to evaluate whether the repetitive use of disposable suction catheters is cost-effective over the single use. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used. The disinfection technique was applied on 60 disposable endotracheal suction catheters used by a convenient sample of neonates (n=30) who admitted to the NICU affiliated to El-Mansoura University Children's Hospital suffered from respiratory distress (RD) that required mechanical ventilation. An assessment sheet contained 2 checklists about the steps of suctioning the airway and catheter's disinfection was used. Results: The studied neonates admission weight was ranged from 905–3600 gm, gestational age was from 26–43 weeks; the period of intubation was between 2–26 days. The applied steps were found to be highly effective, completely (100%) eliminating bacterial growth of catheters seeded with Staphylococcus Aureus, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, and E-coli. Furthermore, it does not contaminate the catheters that are cultured negative for bacterial growth. Conclusion: Applying the study disinfection technique ensured safe reuse of disposable suction catheters for neonates on mechanical ventilation and reduced NICU΄s financial burden. Recommendation: For safe reuse and cost saving, suction catheters might be disinfected and reused. Further studies to find-out for how long could the nurse reuse the disposable suction catheter after disinfection is needed.