Incidents related to the duration of medical devices in Intensive Care: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: to describe the occurrence of clinical incidents related to the length of stay of invasive devices in intensive care units. METHODS: this was an observational, cross-sectional, descriptive, and exploratory study involving critically ill patients aged ≥ 18 years who used invasive devices between May 2022 and May 2023. Data were extracted from the Epimed Monitor System® software and analyzed using the R statistical program, version 4.3.1. RESULTS: a total of 1,766 medical records were analyzed, corresponding to 5,436 devices. Sixty-one incidents involving invasive devices were identified. Mechanical ventilation devices had the highest average duration of use (13.65 days). Healthcare-associated infections related to invasive devices were the most frequent incidents (45.9%). CONCLUSIONS: incidents involving invasive devices in intensive care are associated with the presence of the device. It is recommended to implement strategies to reduce the duration of device exposure and, consequently, the associated incidents.