Use of toothbrushing in conjunction with chlorhexidine for preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia: A random-effect meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objective: The oral cavity with poor hygiene is a reservoir of a complex community of commensal and pathogenic bacteria. Improved oral hygiene (OH) may reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP); however, research on the efficacy of different OH treatments and their potential synergistic effects has remained inconclusive. The objective of this study was to examine whether in patients on mechanical ventilation, using a toothbrushing (T) in conjunction with chlorhexidine (CHX), as opposed to only CHX, reduced the incidence of VAP.

COVID-19 and respiratory protection for healthcare providers.

This article has investigated the considerations of healthcare facilities to utilize reusable respirators as an alternative to disposable respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to choose specific equipment should be based on the protection factors and also on the overall analysis of given conditions. International scientific databases, such as Web of Science, PubMed and MedLine, were searched on May 5, 2020, with the following key words: COVID-19, respiratory protection, surgical masks, filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) and disposable respirators.