The Journal of hospital infection
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Reduced occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia after cardiac surgery using preoperative 0.2% chlorhexidine oral rinse: results from a single-centre single-blinded randomized trial.
Since mechanical ventilation after cardiac surgery increases the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), we conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of preoperative 0.2% chlorhexidine on postoperative VAP. Ninety-four patients scheduled for heart surgery were randomized to a chlorhexidine group (N = 47) or control (saline) group (N = 47). ⋯ VAP occurred in 8.5% of the chlorhexidine group and in 23.4% of the controls. Preoperative chlorhexidine mouthwash reduced the incidence of postoperative VAP significantly.