Background: Endotracheal tube (ETT) fasteners such as the AnchorFastââ??¢ claim to assist with the prevention of oral\npressure injuries in intubated patients, however evidence to support their clinical efficacy is limited. This retrospective\nobservational study aimed to investigate the impact of the introduction of the AnchorFastââ??¢ device on the incidence of\noral pressure injuries in mechanically ventilated patients.\nMethods: Data was collected from patient case notes and clinical incident reports for October 2010 to June\n2013 (pre-AnchorFast) and July 2013 to March 2016 (post-AnchorFast). Incidence and location of oral pressure\ninjuries associated with securing device, and compliance with institutional policies related to reducing oral\npressure injuries were recorded.\nResults: Incidence of oral pressure injuries increased from 1.53/100 intubated patients in the pre-AnchorFast\nperiod to 3.73/100 intubated patients in the post-AnchorFast period (IRR = 2.43, 95%CI = 1.35ââ?¬â??4.38; p = 0.003).\nAcross both study periods, patients with an ETT secured using AnchorFastââ??¢ had significantly increased risk of\noral pressure injuries (IRR = 2.03, 95%CI = 1.17ââ?¬â??3.51; p = 0.02). There was also a significant difference in location\nof pressure injuries sustained with ETTs secured using cloth tapes (53.6% in corner of the mouth) vs.\nAnchorFastââ??¢ (75% on the lips) (p = 0.008). Among patients with oral pressure injuries, compliance with\ninstitutional policies relating to the prevention of pressure injuries was significantly greater after the introduction of\nthe AnchorFastââ??¢ (9.1% vs 64.5%, p = 0.004).\nConclusions: The incidence of oral pressure injuries increased significantly following the introduction of the\nAnchorFastââ??¢ device. Further research is required to establish the reasons for this observed increase to and\nidentify ways to reduce the risk of pressure injuries with ETT securement devices
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