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. 2018 Feb 8:17:4.
doi: 10.1186/s12912-018-0274-2. eCollection 2018.

Impact of the introduction of an endotracheal tube attachment device on the incidence and severity of oral pressure injuries in the intensive care unit: a retrospective observational study

Jaye Hampson  1 , Cameron Green  1 , Joanne Stewart  1 , Lauren Armitstead  1 , Gemma Degan  1 , Andrea Aubrey  1 , Eldho Paul  2   3 , Ravindranath Tiruvoipati  1   2
Affiliations

Impact of the introduction of an endotracheal tube attachment device on the incidence and severity of oral pressure injuries in the intensive care unit: a retrospective observational study

Jaye Hampson et al. BMC Nurs. .

Abstract

Background: Endotracheal tube (ETT) fasteners such as the AnchorFast™ claim to assist with the prevention of oral pressure injuries in intubated patients, however evidence to support their clinical efficacy is limited. This retrospective observational study aimed to investigate the impact of the introduction of the AnchorFast™ device on the incidence of oral pressure injuries in mechanically ventilated patients.

Methods: Data was collected from patient case notes and clinical incident reports for October 2010 to June 2013 (pre-AnchorFast) and July 2013 to March 2016 (post-AnchorFast). Incidence and location of oral pressure injuries associated with securing device, and compliance with institutional policies related to reducing oral pressure injuries were recorded.

Results: Incidence of oral pressure injuries increased from 1.53/100 intubated patients in the pre-AnchorFast period to 3.73/100 intubated patients in the post-AnchorFast period (IRR = 2.43, 95%CI = 1.35-4.38; p = 0.003). Across both study periods, patients with an ETT secured using AnchorFast™ had significantly increased risk of oral pressure injuries (IRR = 2.03, 95%CI = 1.17-3.51; p = 0.02). There was also a significant difference in location of pressure injuries sustained with ETTs secured using cloth tapes (53.6% in corner of the mouth) vs. AnchorFast™ (75% on the lips) (p = 0.008). Among patients with oral pressure injuries, compliance with institutional policies relating to the prevention of pressure injuries was significantly greater after the introduction of the AnchorFast™ (9.1% vs 64.5%, p = 0.004).

Conclusions: The incidence of oral pressure injuries increased significantly following the introduction of the AnchorFast™ device. Further research is required to establish the reasons for this observed increase to and identify ways to reduce the risk of pressure injuries with ETT securement devices.

Keywords: AnchorFast; Critical care; Endotracheal intubation; Pressure injury; Pressure wound.

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Conflict of interest statement

This study was reviewed and approved as an audit by Research Governance of Peninsula Health (ref.: QA/16/PH/8). As this was a retrospective study requiring no patient contact, no informed consent was required. All data was anonymised following data collection.Not applicable.The authors declare that they have no competing interests to declare. The authors have received no financial or material support from Hollister.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Two methods of endotracheal tube (ETT) securement used in the study hospital. Cloth tapes (left) are looped around the ETT and tied around the patient’s head, passing under their ears. A foam dressing is placed between the cloth tape and the patient’s skin, and an adhesive tape is used to secure it in place. The AnchorFast™ device is shown on the right
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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