TABLE 2.
Association between mechanical ventilation (MV) practices and the presence of MV protocols
| Variable | Protocol (n=9) | No protocol (n=15) | Overall (n=24) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial mode of MV | |||
| Not specified | 56 | 40 | 46 |
| Assist control – volume control | 33 | 20 | 25 |
| Assist control – pressure control | 11 | 20 | 17 |
| Synchronized intermittent mandatory | |||
| Ventilation with pressure support | 0 | 20 | 13 |
| Use of blood gas, transcutaneous and end-tidal CO2 for titration | 75 (6/8) | 47 | 57 |
| Use of permissive hypercapnia* | |||
| PCO2 allowed to rise to a preset maximum | 33 | 27 | 29 |
| PCO2 allowed to rise as long as pH is within a preset range | 67 | 80 | 75 |
| Plateau pressures limited | 50 (4/8) | 50 (7/14) | 50 (11/22) |
| PEEP titrated* | |||
| Based on predetermined SpO2 levels | 33 | 27 | 29 |
| Based on arterial blood gas results | 22 | 26.7 | 25 |
| Based on set FiO2 | 44 | 33 | 38 |
| Based on chest x-ray evaluation | 22 | 40 | 33 |
| Mode of MV pre-extubation* | |||
| Assist control† | 75 (6/8) | 27 | 44 (10/23) |
| Synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation | 63 (5/8) | 80 | 74 (17/23) |
| Volume guarantee | 63 (5/8) | 33 | 44 (10/23) |
| High-frequency oscillatory ventilation | 50 (4/8) | 20 | 30 (7/23) |
| High-frequency jet ventilation | 13 (1/8) | 0 | 4 (1/23) |
| Type of postextubation support* | |||
| Low-flow nasal cannula | 56 | 20 | 33 |
| High-flow nasal cannula | 44 | 47 | 46 |
| Continuous positive airway pressure | 100 | 93 | 96 |
| Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation | 67 | 33 | 46 |
*
Total percentage may be >100% in this category because respondents could choose more than one answer;
†
Statistically significant (P=0.039; OR 8.25 [95% CI 1.15 to 59])