Resp Care
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Review Meta Analysis
Effect of ventilator circuit changes on ventilator-associated pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Recent guidelines concerning prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia recommend that ventilator circuits should not be changed routinely, but in practice circuit changes at regular intervals persist. ⋯ Frequent ventilator circuit changes are associated with a high risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia. No routine circuit change is safe and justified. Hospital infection-control policies and bedside practitioners should translate the evidence into clinical practice, if they haven't done so already.