Background:One of the measures to keep the airway open is suctioning of endotracheal tube in patients under ventilation. This procedure can be accompanied with some complications. Selection of appropriate method of suctioning can prevent incidence of acute complications. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effects of the open and closed system suctioning methods on blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, percentage of arterial oxygen saturation, time, and costs in patients under mechanical ventilation. Patients and Methods:This clinical trial study was conducted on 40 patients in ICU. Patients' blood pressure, heart rate, arterial oxygen saturation, related costs, and length of suctioning procedure were measured and recorded immediately before and one, five, ten, and fifteen minutes after suctioning. Data were analyzed using paired t test and repeated measure analysis of variance. Results: No significant differences were observed between the two suctioning methods in terms of mean systolic blood pressure (P = 0.075), diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.405), and mean arterial pressure (P = 0.257) in the five consecutive measurements. However, significant changes were observed in heart rate (P = 0.025) and percentage of arterial oxygen saturation (P < 0.001). The mean lengths of time in open and closed suctioning methods were 5.59 ± 0.211 and 4.34 ± 0.039 seconds, respectively (P < 0.001). The cost of the closed system was lower than the open method for the patients who were admitted to ICU for longer than two days. Conclusions: Closed suction caused fewer disturbances in patients' hemodynamic condition, took shorter time, and is more economical. Therefore, this method can replace open suction method in caring of severely critically ill patients.

Background:One of the measures to keep the airway open is suctioning of endotracheal tube in patients under ventilation. This procedure can be accompanied with some complications. Selection of appropriate method of suctioning can prevent incidence of acute complications. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effects of the open and closed system suctioning methods on blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, percentage of arterial oxygen saturation, time, and costs in patients under mechanical ventilation. Patients and Methods:This clinical trial study was conducted on 40 patients in ICU. Patients' blood pressure, heart rate, arterial oxygen saturation, related costs, and length of suctioning procedure were measured and recorded immediately before and one, five, ten, and fifteen minutes after suctioning. Data were analyzed using paired t test and repeated measure analysis of variance. Results: No significant differences were observed between the two suctioning methods in terms of mean systolic blood pressure (P = 0.075), diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.405), and mean arterial pressure (P = 0.257) in the five consecutive measurements. However, significant changes were observed in heart rate (P = 0.025) and percentage of arterial oxygen saturation (P < 0.001). The mean lengths of time in open and closed suctioning methods were 5.59 ± 0.211 and 4.34 ± 0.039 seconds, respectively (P < 0.001). The cost of the closed system was lower than the open method for the patients who were admitted to ICU for longer than two days. Conclusions: Closed suction caused fewer disturbances in patients' hemodynamic condition, took shorter time, and is more economical. Therefore, this method can replace open suction method in caring of severely critically ill patients.

No abstract

No abstract

According to many research findings, the presence of discourse markers (DMs) enhances readers' comprehension of the texts they read. However, there is a paucity of research on the relationship between knowledge of DMs and reading comprehension (RC) and the present study explores the relationship between them. Knowledge of DMs is measured through examining the subjects' recognition of DMs. To carry out the research, 86 Iranian sophomores majoring in English took a test of DMs alongside a RC test. The correlation between their scores on the two tests was calculated using the software SPSS. The analysis revealed that there is high correlation between the students' knowledge of DMs (i.e., their correct recognition of discourse markers) and their reading comprehension (rxy = .71). Moreover, high correlation carries a strong regression power and scores on a test of DMs could be a good indicator of the test takers' reading ability.