Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the effects of tracheal suctioning (TS) on respiratory resistances in sedated critical care patients receiving mechanical ventilation (MV).
Setting: Surgical ICU of Bichat Hospital, Paris.
Patients and participants: Thirteen sedated critical care patients receiving MV for various conditions.
Measurements and results: Airway resistances (R1), airway and pulmonary resistances (R2), and intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEPint) were measured according to the end-inspiratory and end-expiratory occlusion methods before and after TS. R1 and R2 increased by 49.1% and 46.3%, respectively, 0.5 min after TS (p