The mean age of patients in this study was 42.48 years, which is expected given that most of the study participants were trauma patients. In a study by Yong Fang Zhou et al. (2019), the mean age was reported as 64 years. In their study, age was identified as a risk factor for adverse clinical outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients (42). Similarly, in a study by Si et al. (2021), the mean age of patients was reported as 61 years (15). However, what is consistent across these studies and the present study is that PVA management can be effective for all age groups.
The majority of participants (62.1%) in this study were male, which could be attributed to the fact that trauma patients comprised 53% of the sample, and the incidence of trauma is higher in males. In Fang Zhou et al., the number of female and male patients was 292 and 384, respectively (26). Si et al. observed a similar distribution of gender with 62% male and 38% female participants, and their results showed no significant association between gender and the incidence of PVA (15). In Saghaee (2023), male patients accounted for 57.1% of the participants, and their results showed that changing from volume-controlled ventilation to pressure-controlled ventilation was effective in reducing asynchrony for all patients, regardless of gender (13). Therefore, based on the results of these studies and those of the present study, it can be concluded that PVA management can be effective for both males and females.
In this study, the mean severity of illness score (APACHE II) was reported as 33.84 ± 2.90, and there was no significant difference between the two groups in this regard. In Si et al., the APACHE II score was reported as 27.1 ± 8.5 (15). A higher APACHE II score is associated with an increased likelihood of PVA and adverse clinical outcomes such as prolonged mechanical ventilation (20). Therefore, it can be argued that selecting a similar range of APACHE II scores for inclusion in the present study was appropriate for a more accurate evaluation of the intervention results.
This study showed that the most common cause of PVA was ineffective and inefficient respiratory efforts, accounting for an average of 69.7%, while the least common cause was double-triggering, with an average of 9.1%. In a study by De Haro et al. (2018), ineffective and inefficient respiratory efforts were also identified as the most common cause of PVA (10). Similarly, Blanche et al. (27) reported ineffective respiratory effort as the most common cause of patient-ventilator asynchrony. Based on these results, it can be concluded that efforts to eliminate ineffective respiratory efforts and increase respiratory muscle strength are key strategies for managing and eliminating PVA.
The results of the present study showed that although the incidence of self-extubation was lower in the intervention group (42.1%) compared to the control group (57.9%), the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. Consistent with this result, De Haro (10) suggested that managing and preventing PVA does not have a direct impact on reducing self-extubation. Based on the results of the present study, it can be argued that in a study with a larger sample size, the effect of implementing a PVA protocol on the rate of self-extubation might become significant. However, it should be noted that many factors can affect the occurrence of self-extubation, such as agitation and restlessness, pain, and problems related to the endotracheal tube (e.g., cuff leak), which need to be addressed along with the elimination of patient-ventilator asynchrony to reduce the rate of self-extubation.
Results of the current study showed that there was no significant difference in mortality rates between the two groups in the ICU, which is consistent with the results of Fang Zhou et al. who reported no significant association between the implementation of a PVA protocol and mortality rates in ICU patients (26). However, contrary to these results, Si et al. (15) found that implementing a screening and management protocol for patient-ventilator asynchrony was associated with a significant 15% reduction in hospital mortality. Similarly, the results of a study by Rodis Megranz et al. (28) demonstrated a significant correlation between the occurrence of patient-ventilator asynchrony and increased mortality rates in ICU patients. There could be several reasons for the discrepancy in the results of this study regarding the impact of the intervention on mortality rates in the ICU compared to the aforementioned studies. Factors such as sample size, different study methodologies (for example Si et al. (15) was a retrospective cohort study with a longer duration), as well as differences in patients' clinical conditions, ICU environments, healthcare teams, diagnoses, etc., could contribute to these variations. However, given the positive results of the mentioned studies regarding the positive impact of implementing a PVA protocol, as well as the results of the present study regarding the positive impact of this protocol on length of stay, mechanical ventilation, and successful weaning, it can be argued that the implementation of a PVA management and diagnosis protocol is likely to have a positive impact on reducing mortality rates in patients. Since all of these factors can directly or indirectly affect mortality rates in ICU patients, it is necessary to conduct more comprehensive studies on this topic in the future.
The results of the current study showed that the rate of successful weaning from the ventilator was higher in the intervention group compared to the control group. Consistent with these findings, Michihito (2021) reported a positive impact of implementing a PVA protocol on successful weaning from the ventilator (16). Also, the results of Saghaee et al. (13) showed that PCV modes, compared to VCV modes, reduced asynchrony between the patient and the ventilator, which could increase the chance of successful patient weaning from the ventilator. Furthermore, the results of the study by Si et al. (15) showed that implementing a PVA management protocol twice daily was associated with an increase in successful weaning of patients from the ventilator. Therefore, based on the results of the present study and the aforementioned studies, it can be concluded that patient-ventilator asynchrony is one of the main and influential factors in successful patient weaning from the ventilator, and proper management of this problem can significantly contribute to better weaning of patients from the ventilator.
The results of the present study indicated that the mean length of stay in the ICU was shorter in the intervention group compared to the control group. Consistent with this result, a study by Zhou (26) stated that managing and trying to eliminate PVA reduces the length of patient stay in the ICU. Similarly, Saghaee et al. (13) showed that the average length of stay in the ICU decreased from 10 days to 7 days after efforts to eliminate PVA. Si et al. (15) also found that the average number of days of ICU stay decreased from 12.5 days before implementing the PVA management protocol to 9 days after implementing this protocol. Therefore, although many factors can affect the length of a patient's stay in the ICU, it should be stated that based on the results of the present study and the aforementioned similar studies, the occurrence of PVA is also one of these main factors that can directly or indirectly increase the length of a patient's stay in the ICU.
The study results showed that the average length of stay in the ICU was shorter in the intervention group compared to the control group. Similarly, Si et al. (15) found that using a PVA management protocol reduced the duration of mechanical ventilation. Rodis Megranz (28) also reported that patients with more asynchronies were on mechanical ventilation for an average of 3 days longer. The results of a study by Blanche et al. (27) also showed that patients with an asynchrony index greater than 10% were on mechanical ventilation for a longer average duration. In Saghaee et al. (13), changing from volume-controlled ventilation to pressure-controlled ventilation to reduce asynchronies led to a decrease in the duration of mechanical ventilation. The results of De Haro (10) also indicated that patients with high asynchrony were on mechanical ventilation for an average of 5.16 days longer. Therefore, based on the results of the present study and similar studies, it can be concluded that PVA is one of the main causes of increased duration of ventilator use and poor clinical outcomes, and proper management can reduce the duration of ventilation and improve patient outcomes.