Endotracheal suctioning practices of nurses and respiratory therapists: How well do they align with clinical practice guidelines?

Background: A common procedure within intensive care units (ICUs) is the suctioning of respiratory secretions in patients who have been intubated or who have undergone tracheostomy. Previous studies have shown a wide variation in suctioning practices, and although current evidence does not support the routine practice of normal saline instillation (NSI), anecdotally, this is believed to be a common practice.

Objective: To examine the suctioning practices of registered nurses (RNs) and registered respiratory therapists (RRTs) in six hospital ICUs in Ontario, with special attention devoted to the use of NSI.