A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial of Two Different Oral Care Regimens Combined With Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) Bundle Strategy for Reduction of Duration of Mechanical Ventilation in a Neonatal Population

Prolonged mechanical ventilation is a known risk factor strongly associated with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). As the fatality rates for VAP are high, prevention of VAP has focused on the use of "VAP bundles". Oral decontamination, by reducing the microbial burden within a patient's oral cavity, is an essential part of VAP bundle strategy for reducing VAP rates in mechanically ventilated adults and older children. However there are no published studies of oral care products for VAP prevention in mechanically ventilated neonates. Biotene OralBalance® gel contains antibacterial active ingredients, including lactoperoxidase, lysozyme and lactoferrin,all enzymes with bacteriostatic or bactericidal activity on selective oral microflora. We hypothesize that by directly reducing the oral microbial burden, we indirectly reduce the number of VAP. This will be reflected in the reduced time on mechanical ventilation in the group of infants receiving Biotene OralBalance® gel.

This is a prospective, randomized, unmasked, controlled trial with 40 mechanically ventilated infants recruited from level IV nursery at Forsyth Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC. The participants will be randomized to two equal groups, stratified by gestational age categories: <28 weeks, and >=28 weeks as well as multiple births. Twenty infants will receive Biotene OralBalance® gel (Intervention Group) and 20 infants will receive swabs with sterile water (Control Group) for timed oral care. Both study groups will receive the NICU standard ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) bundle, a combination of strategies aimed to reduce the rate of VAP.