The Effect of Oral Care and Chlorhexidine on the Rate of Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP)

OBJECTIVE: Ventilator-associated pneumonia is considered major pneumonia, which develops in the intensive care unit patients following mechanical ventilation for about two days. This study reviews oral care and chlorhexidine effect on ventilator associated pneumonia occurrence. METHODS: A critical review approach was adopted where publications from 2007 to 2017 were considered. These publications were gathered from electronic searches through the different databases, for instance, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library. This protocol was used for the selection of the studies and their analysis. RESULTS: The review showed that 0.12% Chlorhexidine use assists in reducing bacterial growth. It also suggests that the use of affirmative outcomes for mechanically ventilated patients, including improved patient outcomes, decreased in the duration of the patients’ hospital stays, and reduced health care cost.