Objective:To analyze the care implemented by the nursing team to promote the safety of adult patients and prevention of skin and mucosal lesions associated with the presence of lower airways invasive devices. Method: Study with qualitative and quantitative approach, descriptive and exploratory type, whose investigative scenarios were adult inpatient units of a hospital in the West Frontier of Rio Grande do Sul. The study subjects consisted of nurses, nursing technicians and nursing assistants. Results: A total of 118 professionals were interviewed. We highlight the observed specific care with endotracheal tube and tracheostomy, management and assessment of the cuff and the criteria used to secretion aspiration. Conclusion: There is a superficial nursing work in the patient direct care and a differentiation in relation to the perception of nurse technicians, especially those working in the intensive care unit, who presented major property and view of the patient's clinical status.
DESCRIPTORS
Patient safety and the prevention of skin and mucosal lesions associated with airway invasive devicesSegurança do paciente e a prevenção de lesões cutâneo-mucosas associadas aos dispositivos invasivos nas vias aéreas La seguridad del paciente y la prevención de lesiones cutáneo-mucosas asociadas con los dispositivos invasivos en las vías aéreas
INTRODUCTIONHospitalized patients in clinical units or intensive care units at some point may require the use of an airway device to replace or assist in maintaining ventilation. The use of an endotracheal tube (ET) and/or tracheostomy tube are the main instruments that composes this maintenance, allowing oxygen installation, removal of secretions and mechanical ventilation.Facing the use of these invasive devices, patients can be subjected to cutaneous and mucosal lesions in upper and lower airways. Thus, we highlight aspects related to patient safety and the onset of these adverse events that may result from the length of use, above all, the list of complex care required to maintain these devices, in which minimum failures can be translated in irreparable damage to the patient.Patient safety is aimed at reducing unnecessary harm, involving the practical actions that minimize the complications to the context and devices from which care is provided (1) . Still, patient safety is related to the actions to ensure the integrity of people, preventing adverse events and the prevention of errors, thus promoting a safer patient care (2) . Thus, care processes that permeate the care of patients who use these devices, especially those airways invasive, should focus on reducing the risk of skin and mucosal, oropharyngeal, laryngopharyngeal, laryngeal and tracheal lesions. These measures ensure the airway maintenance, important for therapy, avoiding possible temporary or permanent damage, longer hospitalizations and, consequently, the patient's suffering.Considering the security for the prevention of skin and mucosal lesions in patients undergoing lower airways invasive devices, there...
