Ineffective airway clearance in adult patients after thoracic and upper abdominal surgery

Nursing Process Related to the Nursing Focus "Airway Clearance": A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Airway clearance impairment has a significant impact on self-care and quality of life. Identifying clinical data, nursing diagnoses, and nursing interventions is essential to clinical reasoning and enhancing nursing care. This study aims to map the existing evidence on clinical data, nursing diagnoses, and nursing interventions addressing the nursing focus on "airway clearance".

METHODS

Research was conducted based on Joanna Briggs's Scoping Review Methodology. We searched four databases for published studies until December 2023.

RESULTS

From the initial 1854 studies identified, 123 were included in the review. The findings highlighted two areas of nursing attention: one related to signs and symptom management, and the other related to education and coping strategies. The data that led to nursing diagnoses were divided into cognitive and clinical data. The nursing diagnoses were mostly related to secretion retention, excessive mucus production, and airway obstruction. The most commonly identified nursing interventions were educational interventions assembled into predesigned education programs rather than patient-tailored programs.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings can add substantial value for systematizing the nursing process related to "airway clearance", improving nursing decision-making and care quality. This study was prospectively registered with the Open Science Framework (OSF) on 02 December 2022, with the registration number wx5ze.

Prognostic indicators of short-term survival of ineffective airway clearance in children with acute respiratory infection: a longitudinal study

Background: Studies that establish the indicators of clinical status deterioration of Ineffective airway clearance remain scarce. Prognostic studies provide data for nurses identify clinical indicators that suggest a higher chance of early development of a nursing diagnosis. Objective: To identify the prognostic indicators of short-term survival of ineffective airway clearance (IAC) in children with acute respiratory infection (ARI). Design: A prospective open cohort study. Methods: This study was with a group of 136 children with acute respiratory infection who were followed for a minimum of six and a maximum of ten consecutive days. Children who had not completed six days of monitoring or who were carriers of diseases that would alter the specific symptoms of respiratory infection were excluded. The survival rate of ineffective airway clearance was calculated using Nelson-Aalen's method. A Cox regression model was used to analyze the influence of clinical indicators on survival time of this diagnosis. Results: The diagnosis survival rate was extremely low (only 0.4% on the 5th day of follow-up). The greatest reduction in survival rate was observed in the first 48 h (survival rate = 2.5%). Four defining characteristics associated with a worse prognosis of IAC among children with ARI: ineffective cough (RR = 5.86; 95% CI: 3.53-9.72), absence of cough (RR = 2.92; 95% CI: 1.68-5.08), adventitious breath sounds (RR = 2.47; 95% CI: 2.01-3.03), and diminished breath sounds (RR = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.05-1.45). Conclusion: Four clinical indicators showed a strong relationship with an increased risk of worsening clinical status associated with this nursing diagnosis. Impact statement: Clinical deterioration related to ineffective airway clearance among children with acute respiratory infection is fast and requires particular attention from nurses.

Associations between respiratory nursing diagnoses and nursing interventions in patients submitted to thoracic or upper abdominal surgery

OBJECTIVE

To determine associations between respiratory nursing diagnoses and nursing interventions in patients submitted to thoracic or upper abdominal surgery.

METHOD

Cross sectional quantitative study. Participants were 312 adult patients within the first 48 hours after thoracic or upper abdominal surgery. Patients were examined by the research team using an instrument with variables related to the respiratory function. The research team established the presence/absence of three nursing diagnoses and proposed interventions using the NANDA-I classification and the Nursing Interventions Classification. Correlations were tested using the chi-square or Fisher's test.

RESULTS

From the total 312 examinations, ineffective airway clearance was present in 185 (59.3%) assessments, ineffective breathing pattern in 123 (39.4%), and impaired gas exchange in 141 (45.4%). Significant correlations showed that patients with ineffective airway clearance were more likely to require pain management (or: 2.27), chest physiotherapy (or: 2.96), and positioning (or:1.8), while patients with impaired gas exchange were less likely to require airway management (or: 0.13) and chest physiotherapy (or: 0.28).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with ineffective airway clearance had more chances of requiring pain management, chest physiotherapy, and positioning, while the nursing diagnosis impaired gas exchange was related with airway management and chest physiotherapy. The findings provide basis for nurses to develop effective care plans and to minimize postoperative respiratory complications.

Respiratory status of adult patients in the postoperative period of thoracic or upper abdominal surgeries

Objective:

to evaluate the respiratory status of postoperative adult patients by assessing the nursing outcome Respiratory Status.

Method:

descriptive, cross-sectional study developed with 312 patients. Eighteen NOC indicators were assessed and rated using a Likert-scale questionnaire and definitions. Descriptive and correlative analysis were conducted.

Results:

the most compromised clinical indicators were coughing (65.5%), auscultated breath sounds (55%), and respiratory rate (51.3%). Factors associated with worse NOC ratings in specific clinical indicators were sex, age, pain, and general anesthesia.

Conclusions:

certain clinical indicators of respiratory status were more compromised than others in postoperative patients. Patient and context-related variables can affect the level of respiratory compromise.