Aim: Retrospective study on the changing position impact on respiratory events in 14 rehabilitation tracheotomized tetraplegic patients, during 25 months.
Methods: Three positions were compared: permanently supine (16 periods), seated on <or=5 days/week (20 periods), or seated on >or=6 days/week (10 periods). The end-point was the incidence of the following respiratory events: pneumonia, atelectasis and plugging of tracheal/bronchial secretions. Patients were considered as their own control but data were pooled for analysis.
Results: Pneumonia and plugging incidences were significantly higher in the permanently supine position than in the seated <or=5 days position (P<or=0.001). Incidence was not significant higher in the seated <or=5 days than in the seated >or=6 days position. Atelectasis occurred only in the supine position.
Conclusion: Plugging prevalence was significantly higher in the permanently supine position (53.3%) than in the seated <or=5 days position (21.6%, P<10-5), and in the seated <or=5 days position (21.6%) than in the seated >or=6 days position (14.6%, P=0.001).