الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 76 |  |  |
| | | from | 76 | | |
Abstract
Patients in the ICU have very specific care needs, demanding the highest standard of professional care. Unfortunately oral health is not always given adequate attention because of the life saving nature of the ICU which predisposes critically ill patients to further complications, the oropharynx becomes more susceptible to further colonization due to exposure to endemic antibiotic-resistant organisms, corticosteroid therapy, decreased IgA salivary content, reduced salivary secretions and the accumulation of secretions by the existence of an ETT or nasogastric tube. This oral colonization precedes pulmonary colonization which may lead to Gram-negative nosocomial pneumonia. So, it is important to implement a thorough oral care for orally intubated patients to keep oral mucosa moist, clean and free from infection.
The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of a nursing intervention on oral health status of orally intubated patients. This study was carried out at Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Hospital, Mansoura University. Subjects of the study comprised sixty adult orally intubated patients. Those patients were considered similar regarding age, gender, expected time in ICU was more than six days, intubation within twenty-four hours of admission, the interval between intubation and first microbial culture was less than forty-eight hours. However, patients who received chemotherapy or radiotherapy on head and neck, diabetic patients, patients with severe liver or kidney disease, and patients with autoimmune disease were excluded from the study. The sample was assigned into three groups; two study groups and one control. Study group A received oral care using 0.12% Chlorhexidine Gluconate, study group B received 0.1% Hexetidine solution and control group C received 0.9% Normal Saline solution as a routine hospital care.