Prevention of endotracheal tube occlusion through process of standardisation of humidification during mechanical ventilation in a neonatal intensive care unit: A quality improvement initiative

With the objective of decreasing the incidence of endotracheal tube occlusion (ETO) by 25% in our neonatal intensive care unit, we identified potential causes of insufficient humidification, identified a lack of knowledge regarding the use of humidifiers during ventilation, and established a standard procedure. Subsequent improvement of practice, viz. standardising gas flow, keeping adequate water levels in the humidifying chamber, eliminating defective probes and providing interactive nurse training, achieved sustained reduction of ETO by 40% over a period of 32 weeks.