O uso da clorexidina oral no ambiente hospitalar: revisão de literatura

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Integrated care for the hospitalized patient, involving multidisciplinary health areas, is recommended as good care practices. The oral application of chlorhexidine (CHX) has been widely used to prevent respiratory infections in critically ill patients, however, recently studies have reported its controversial efficacy and strong findings that it could be associated with increased mortality. OBJECTIVE: The general objective of this study was to evaluate, through a review of the scientific literature, the use of oral chlorhexidine in critically ill patients. METHODOLOGY: This is a bibliographical, exploratory study carried out through a literature review. The following virtual health databases were used, such as the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Information System (LILACS), National Library of Medicine (PubMed) and Scientific Electronic Library Online (Scielo), from 2010 to 2023 50 articles were selected, after reading the abstracts in full and applying the inclusion criteria, 40 were excluded, therefore, 10 articles were included in the final results. RESULTS: The results of the study point to an increased risk of mortality related to the indiscriminate use of chlorhexidine in oral hygiene for patients admitted to the ICU, and its use is indicated individually according to oral diseases. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: In view of the above, we conclude that further studies on the impact of the individualized use of chlorhexidine in oral hygiene in hospitalized patients are necessary. Due to the possible increase in mortality associated with the indiscriminate use of this mouthwash. A careful evaluation by the Dental Surgeon is suggested to diagnose patients who would benefit from this use associated with efficient techniques for mechanical removal of oral biofilm.