Effects of oral care using chlorhexidine gluconate on ventilator-associated pneumonia and mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Purpose: This review aimed to determine the effectiveness of oral care using Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHX) in Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) in the intensive care unit. Methods: An electronic databases search was conducted with Ovid-MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CINAHL and four domestic databases from July 10 to 16, 2018. Two reviewers independently selected the studies; three reviewers assessed their methodological quality and extracted relevant data. We conducted a meta-analysis of the effect of CHX oral care versus placebo using the Review Manager 5.3 software program and summarized the results of intervention from the included studies. Results: Of the 512 articles identified, 17 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria for review. The incidence of VAP differed significantly between the CHX and placebo groups (Relative Risk [RR]=0.72, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]=0.63~0.84). The pooled effects of oral care using 0.12% CHX were RR=0.65 (95% CI=0.52~0.80) and RR=0.68 (95% CI=0.54~0.86) using CHX solution, which were statistically significant. When CHX oral care was performed three times a day, the size of the effect was statistically significant (RR=0.63, 95% CI=0.40~0.99). There was no significant difference in mortality between the CHX oral care and placebo groups (RR=1.08, 95% CI=0.94~1.28). Conclusion: This review provides evidence that performing oral care using a 0.12% CHX solution three times a day could decrease the incidence of VAP. For improving the quality of nursing practice, the results of this review should be used as the basis for the oral care evidence-based practice guidelines for critical patients.