Table 1.

Characteristics of patients in the placebo and 2% chlorhexidine/toothbrushing groups

Variables		Placebo	Chlorhexidine	p value
Number of patients		24	28
Age (years)		41.0±19.0	40.1±14.6	0.84
APACHE II		16.7±6.8	17.9±4.5	0.45
Diagnosis
	Clinical	5(20.8)	3(10.7)	0.32
	Surgical	19(79.2)	25(89.3)	0.53
Clinical condition
	Trauma	12(50.0)	13(46.4)	0.98
	Stroke	3(12.5)	4(14.2)	0.81
	Postoperative complications	3(12.5)	6(21.4)	0.62
	Guillain-Barré syndrome	1(4.1)	0(0.0)	0.97
	Rectal neoplasia	2(8.3)	1(3.5)	0.92
	Septic shock	2(8.3)	2(7.1)	0.71
	Acute pulmonary edema	1(4.1)	1(3.5)	0.54

APACHE II - Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation. Results are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation or the number (%).