Destete de la ventilación mecánica, Guayaquil 2019

Weaning from mechanical ventilation is the process of disconnecting or removing artificial ventilatory support. There are no absolute criteria to prevent a failed weaning or without complications but it is advisable to use protocols with their pre-dictors and weaning criteria to minimize unwanted consequences. The objective was to establish the knowledge, attitudes and practices of respiratory care professionals in the weaning of mechanical ventilation in public and private centers in the city of Guayaquil. The research design was quantitative, not experimental, transversal, observational, with a descriptive approach. The sample consisted of 214 respiratory therapists from 6 private clinics and 8 public hospitals in the city of Guayaquil to which a survey of sixteen questions was applied as a data collection instrument. As a result, it was obtained that 58% of therapists use weaning protocols, ensuring that 98% of cases are indicated by the doctor and only 2% per-form weaning on their own decision. Regarding the evaluation of the hemodynamics of the patient, 88.3% of respiratory therapists expressed using the Tobin index, respiratory rate / tidal volume ratio (f / Vt). Likewise, the measurement of the vital capacity or the Pimax to measure muscular strength is applied by 57.0% with respect to the use of IV corticosteroids before extubation 4.7% (10/214) expressed never using them. In conclusion, not all respiratory therapists use the weaning criteria with equal frequency.