An Oral Hygiene Care in Cognitive Impairment Patients by Gauze: Is It Really Safe Care Method?

Abstract

Oral hygiene care (OHC) is associated with in-hospital infection. Among the many materials used for OHC, gauze is one of the most common. However, many patients receiving OHC are in a poor state of consciousness and thus at high risk of foreign-body aspiration or ingestion. Here we present three cases of unusual foreign-body obstruction that developed in cognitively impaired patients. These cases highlight the need for increased clinical awareness regarding vulnerable patients at risk of complications related to a foreign body in the gastrointestinal tract or the airway. Copyright (C) 2019, Taiwan Society of Geriatric Emergency & Critical Care Medicine.