RESUMEN
Aspiration of bronchial secretions is a usual technique that may have an affect on hemodynamic and respiratory parameters of the patient. Our objects has been to assess if there are changes in these parameters based on two different aspiration systems: closed (CS) or open (OS) and to also compare the times used in the process. A clinical trial was performed using the crossing over method in which aspirations were performed to the same patient with the two systems. The onset system was randomized and, after a wash-out period of 3 hours, an alternative system was established. We recorded ventilatory, gasometric (baseline and at five minutes of finishing the technique) and hemodynamic (baseline, during the procedure and at five minutes) variables. The time used in each procedure was recorded. The aspiration was always performed with preoxygenation at 100% during one minute. A total of 26 patients subjected to mechanical ventilation in the assisted/controlled way entered the study and 52 aspirations were studied. We analyzed the data with the Student's t test for paired samples and ANOVA. There were no differences in the comparisons between the different determinations for the hemodynamic and gasometric variables. In the ventilatory ones, we only found a significant increase in the respiratory frequency posterior to the OS in regards to the baseline of the same system (p = 0.016). The time used in the technique was greater for the OS (p < 0.001). It can be concluded from the results that: 1. The aspiration technique does not produce clinically important alterations in the parameters studied. 2. There are no differences between the two aspiration systems. 3. The technique with CS is faster.