Effect of airway humidification nursing on tracheotomy after operation for severe craniocerebral injury

Objective To analyze the effect of airway humidification nursing on tracheotomy after operation for severe craniocerebral injury. Methods 86 patients with severe craniocerebral injury treated in our hospital from May, 2016 to October, 2018 were divided into an observation group (n=43) and a control group (n=43) according to the order of archiving. All the patients were surgically treated; after the operation, artificial ventilation was established by tracheotomy. The control group was routinely cared during the period; in addition, the observation group was given continuous humidification nursing with micro-pump. The airway humidification related indicators (daily sputum suction times, sputum suction interval time, blocking time), arterial oxygen index (OI) level, and complications before and after 1 month’s humidification nursing were compared between these two groups. Results The number of suctions per day was lower, the interval between suctions was longer, the blocking time was shorter, and the level of arterial blood gas OI was higher in the observation group than in the control group [(5.23±1.21) vs. (8.36±2.10), (2.20±1.18) h vs. (1.41±0.95) h, and (29.47±6.02) d vs. (34.68±8.74) d, and (446.98±30.57) mmHg vs. (410.57±28.20) mmHg; all P<0.05]. The incidence of complications such as pulmonary infection, tracheal mucosal congestion, irritative cough and sputum scab in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion The application of airway humidification nursing in tracheotomy patients after surgery for severe craniocerebral injury can effectively shorten the time of blockage, prolong the interval of sputum suctions, reduce the times of sputum suction and the incidence of complications, and improve the level of arterial blood gas OI. Key words: Airway humidification; Severe craniocerebral injury; Number of sputum aspiration