The Effect of Silicone Foam Dressing and Repositioning on the Prevention of Endotracheal Tube-related Pressure Injuries

The Effect of Silicone Foam Dressing and Repositioning on the Prevention of Endotracheal Tube-related Pressure Injuries: A Randomized Comparative Study

The endotracheal tube is one of the medical devices most associated with pressure injuries related to medical devices. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of applying a silicone foam dressing over the endotracheal tube and repositioning the endotracheal tube in preventing endotracheal tube-related pressure injuries in patients receiving mechanical ventilation support.

This study will be conducted as a prospective, parallel, three-group (1:1:1), randomized comparative trial. Data will be collected using the following instruments: the "Patient Descriptive Information Form," the "Braden Pressure Injury Risk Assessment Scale" to assess the risk of pressure injury development, the "M-ROMPIS" for staging endotracheal tube-related pressure injuries, and the "Endotracheal Tube-Related Pressure Injury Assessment Form" for monitoring the development of endotracheal tube-related pressure injuries. Data analysis will use both parametric tests (Independent Samples t-test, ANOVA) or non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test) based on the data distribution for comparisons involving two groups or multiple groups. The Chi-square test will be used for categorical variables. Logistic Regression Analysis will be performed to determine the effects of pressure injury development time and continuous variables obtained during patient follow-up on the development or non-development of pressure injuries.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18 years or older
• Patients admitted to the General Intensive Care Unit and receiving mechanical ventilation support
• Absence of pressure injuries, other lesions, or anomalies on the inner and outer surfaces of the lips and at the oral commissures prior to intubation
• Absence of congenital anomalies that could interfere with the assessment of pressure injuries on the inner and outer surfaces of the lips and at the oral commissures

Exclusion Criteria:

• Receiving mechanical ventilation support initiated prior to admission to the intensive care unit
• Undergoing nasotracheal intubation
• History of any intraoral surgical procedure
• Presence of a contraindication to repositioning of the endotracheal tube
• More than one hour having elapsed since intubation (for Group 1)