Reduction of ventilatory time using the multidisciplinary disconnection protocol. Pilot study

OBJECTIVE: compare ventilatory time between patients with the application of a disconnection protocol, managed in a coordinated way between doctor and nurse, with patients managed exclusively by the doctor. METHOD: experimental pilot study before and after. Twenty-five patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation for 24 hours or more were included, and the protocol-guided group was compared with the protocol-free group managed according to usual practice. RESULTS: by means of the multidisciplinary protocol, the time of invasive mechanical ventilation was reduced (141.94 ± 114.50 vs 113.18 ± 55.14; overall decrease of almost 29 hours), the time spent on weaning (24 hours vs 7.40 hours) and the numbers of reintubation (13% vs 0%) in comparison with the group in which the nurse did not participate. The time to weaning was shorter in the retrospective cohort (2 days vs. 5 days), as was the hospital stay (7 days vs. 9 days). CONCLUSION: the use of a multidisciplinary protocol reduces the duration of weaning, the total time of invasive mechanical ventilation and reintubations. The more active role of the nurse is a fundamental tool to obtain better results.