Quantifying sputum production in intensive therapy

Sputum is essential for the protection of the respiratory tract but also plays a significant role in the pathophysiology of lung disease [1]. This is evident in critical care where high sputum loads contribute to respiratory failure [2]. The quantity of sputum produced by a patient can impact on key decisions such as weaning, extubation and discharge. We undertook a survey to establish whether there was a consensus on how we quantify sputum on our intensive therapy unit (ITU).