Surveillance study of pediatric patients receiving respiratory therapy, using the Bain circuit system.
The Bain circuit, which has been used previously for anesthesia, was adopted for long-term mechanical ventilation for infants and children in a pediatric intensive care unit. When this ventilation system is used, humidifier temperatures must be kept at temperatures significantly lower than the recommended 50 degrees C to avoid excessive airway temperatures and thermal injury. Routine infection control measures such as daily changing of respiratory therapy equipment and the use of sterile water in Cascade humidifiers were enforced. It was demonstrated that the use of the Bain circuit with a Cascade humidifier kept at a temperature of 36.9 degrees +/- 1.9 degrees C was not associated with nosocomial infection of the lower respiratory tract.
D000150:Acinetobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000635:transmission*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D013696:Temperature; D012122:Ventilators, Mechanical / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014871:Water Microbiology