Effects of dry and traditional bed bathing on respiratory parameters: a randomized pilot study.
Luana Vieira Toledo, Patrícia de Oliveira Salgado, Cristiane Chaves de Souza and 3 others
PMID 32491124WHAT IT FOUND
Oxygen saturation did not differ between dry and traditional ICU bed baths.
Dry bathing took 20.0 minutes and respiratory rate was 20.5 breaths/min, compared with 30.0 minutes and 24.3 breaths/min for traditional bathing.
Key findings
01SpO2 means were 94.7% during dry bathing and 95.2% during traditional bathing, with no significant difference.
02The dry bed bath took 20.0 minutes on average, while the traditional bed bath took 30.0 minutes.
03Respiratory rate was 20.5 breaths per minute during dry bathing and 24.3 breaths per minute during traditional bathing, higher with traditional bathing.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was a pilot with 15 completed patients, so it was not designed to prove clinical benefit. Nineteen patients were recruited, 2 were excluded, and 2 died before the second bath, leaving a small analysed sample. Researchers and awake patients knew which bath was being given, so the trial was unblinded. The outcomes were bath time, SpO2 and RR, not complications, mortality, infection, comfort or skin outcomes. Oral cavity and scalp cleaning were not performed during either bath, so the tested dry bath was not a complete hygiene routine. It was done in one ICU over a short winter period, and patients were less complex than some ICU populations.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that dry bed bathing prevents oxygen desaturation or improves patient outcomes. Oxygen saturation did not differ between baths, and the study was a small unblinded pilot measuring time and respiratory parameters rather than complications.