Implementation of a care bundle in preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia in the elderly patients

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of a care bundle in preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia(VAP) in the elderly patients.Methods A retrospective study was conducted.197 elderly patients with mechanical ventilation 48 h admitted in intensive care units(ICUs) during January 2010 to December 2011 in our hospital were selected.The patients in 2010(n=99) were enrolled in the experimental group,and those in 2010 were enrolled in the control group(n=98).The control group only received the routine nursing,while the experimental group received a ventilator care bundle besides the routine nursing,which included raising the head of bed,daily sedation interruption,peptic ulcer prevention,and deep vein thrombosis prevention.The morbidity of VAP,mechanical ventilation time,hospital stay in ICU and mortality were compared.Results The morbidity of VAP in the experimental group significantly decreased than that in the control group compared to the control group(P0.01).Moreover,the mechanical ventilation time,hospital stay in ICU,and mortality reduced significantly(P0.05).Conclusion The care bundle can effectively prevent and in the experimental group reduce the occurrence of VAP in the elderly patients,reduce mechanical ventilation time and complications,and promote their recovery.