Patients undergoing intubation and mechanical ventilation require removal of secretion by means of trachoebronchial suctioning. Timing of the procedure is mainly based on clinical parameters. TBA Care® is a new commercially available device designed to generate a signal when secretions are present in the respiratory tract of intubated patients, thus indicating the need for endotracheal suctioning only when necessary and prior to clinical deterioration. In a prospective randomized trial in intubated and mechanically ventilated patients of a general ICU the researchers investigated the efficacy of TBA Care® in detecting the presence of retained secretions compared to the standard indicators.

Inclusion Criteria:

• age greater than 18 years
• presence of an endotracheal tube to provide mechanical ventilation
• expected duration of mechanical ventilation greater than 48 hours.

Exclusion Criteria:

• age < 18 years, pregnancy
• presence of active bronchial bleeding