Endotracheal Tube Nursing Care: Current Evidence

Abstract

Background: Endotracheal intubation is a common clinical procedure applied for protecting critically ill patient's airway, and supporting their ventilation needs through the insertion of a large-bore, flexible, plastic tube in the trachea between the vocal cords called an endotracheal tube. Endotracheal tube care is an essential nursing practice for maintaining patient safety. The incompetent endotracheal tube care can increase patients’ hospital stay, treatment costs, and morbidity and mortality. The literature highlighted that until now nurses’ practices depend greatly on rituals and traditions. Critical care nurses are assigned to deliver safe nursing care directed by the best evidence. Most incompetent nursing care for intubated patients may be due to a lack of nurses’ awareness and knowledge of the current evidence-based practice. To optimize nursing care quality; the nursing practice should be fed by scientific knowledge and standardized evidence-based practice. Hence, this review aims to highlight the recent evidence related to endotracheal tube nursing care.