To the best of our knowledge, this is the first RCT to investigate the efficacy and safety of RFEM in preventing VAP compared with SSD. The major finding of our study is that there was no significant difference in the incidence of VAP between the two groups. RFEM can avoid the limitations of SSD, and we have verified RFEM to be a safe procedure without severe complications.
Several RCTs and meta-analyses show that SSD can significantly reduce the incidence of VAP.4,5,18−23 In this study, the incidence of VAP in the SSD group was 10.83%, which was consistent with previous studies.19,20 Jason Powell’s study showed that, especially in critically ill patients, intubation and mechanical ventilation can cause an inflammatory subglottic environment where mucin hyper-secretion and enhanced viscosity is connected with neutrophil infiltration, impairment of neutrophil function, neutrophil elastase release, and enriched VAP-causing pathogens.3 Enhancement of subglottic mucus removal and/or disruption could be considered a logical target for improved VAP prevention.3 Other measures have been taken to prevent VAP, including elevating the head of the bed, daily oral hygiene, reducing the use of sedatives and strengthening cuff management.24–27 The lower incidence of VAP in the SSD group in our results (10.8%) compared with the predicted incidence of VAP in the sample size calculation (30%) may be due to strict VAP bundles implementation and the fact that the diagnostic criteria for VAP remains a matter of debate.19 Our study applied a particularly stringent diagnostic criterion which required specific microbiological vigilance (e-Appendix 2).
Multiple studies have found that half of patients have a conventional tracheal tube established prior to ICU admission,19,28−30 which limits the application of SSD. Furthermore, the price of the SSD tube is higher than a conventional tracheal tube. However, some studies have shown that the SSD method is more cost-effective for patients who are on mechanical ventilation > 48 h;31 but the expected duration of intubation cannot be predicted at the beginning of treatment. In regards to the SSD lumen, the larger outer diameter of the catheter increases the risk of laryngeal injury.22 Additionally, SSD may cause damage to the tracheal mucosa owing to the focus of negative pressure on the small amount of oropharyngeal secretion gathered above the balloon.9,10 An in vitro study indicated that the SSD drainage effect is significantly reduced when the secretion above the cuff balloon was less than 4 ml.32 Furthermore, the thinner diameter of the drainage tube can result in blockage by thick secretions.
Patients randomized to RFEM had a statistically similar incidence of VAP as patients in the SSD group. However, the RFEM does not require the SSD catheter or other special equipment and is not affected by the quantity and viscosity of the subglottic secretions. Therefore, the amount of daily subglottic secretions removed was greater in the RFEM group. In our study, we found patient heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate were significantly increased during the RFEM process. The process of sputum suction could partly explain these increases, as most patients returned to normal after a few minutes. No unplanned extubation or maneuver-related barotrauma occurred, and all conscious patients tolerated the procedure.
The RFEM is effective and safe, and should be an alternative method for hospitals where the SSD catheter has not yet been popularized or for patients without the availability of subglottic suctioning catheters.It is worth noting, however, that RFEM has limitations under certain conditions. For patients requiring high PEEP support (e.g., PEEP > 10 cm H2O), the rapid-flow expulsion might cause the loss of PEEP and the collapse of alveoli when disconnecting patients from the ventilator.14 Furthermore, it is difficult to push the secretion up to the oropharynx in patients with an upper airway obstruction. Otherwise, patients are supposed to lie in the supine position as much as possible to guarantee the most effective drainage.11 Additionally, the cooperation of two trained medical professionals is required.
There are several limitations to our study. First, it was a single-center study, the sample size was relatively small, and the main cause of admission was respiratory infection. Second, the ICU expenses calculated in our study did not include the cost of human resource management. Lastly, the two operating procedures, RFEM and SSD, were visually distinguishable, thus the study could not be blinded to physicians and nurses. However, patients were randomized with similar baseline characteristics, and microbiologists blinded to the randomization used strict quantitative microbiological criteria to confirm VAP.