Secretion retention in the adult intubated and mechanically ventilated patient: The definition, detection, prevention, aggravation, patient outcomes, interventions and future directions

摘要

There is some evidence that intubation, mechanical ventilation, patient immobilization, sedation and inadequate humidification of airways can predispose to secretion retention. Physiotherapists commonly provide interventions to optimise secretion clearance [1-6], but the practice delivered varies between institutions. The scarcity of high-level evidence linking secretion retention to major pulmonary complications [4, 7] provides challenges for physiotherapists in intensive care to justify treatments for secretion clearance.