ArticleCritical care explorations2020
Is α-Amylase an Important Biomarker to Detect Aspiration of Oral Secretions in Ventilated Patients?
Article in Critical care explorations, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Airway tracers and biomarkers for aspiration detection and VAP prediction in ICU patients with tracheal tubes: a systematic review and diagnostic accuracy meta-analysis.Annals of intensive care · 2026Review
- Association of enteral feeding with microaspiration in critically ill adults.Applied nursing research : ANR · 2022Article
- Neuromuscular electrical stimulation improves swallowing initiation in patients with post-stroke dysphagia.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Article
- Pepsin A in Tracheal Secretions From Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation.American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Alpha-amylase has emerged as a biomarker of interest in detecting aspiration of oral secretions. In several studies, most ventilated patients have α-amylase values detected in pulmonary secretions. Values of α-amylase are high (as expected) in oral secretions and lowest in bronchoalveolar lavage samples. Around 5-7% of oral α-amylase is detectable in tracheal secretions. Once secretions are aspirated, the duration of detection of α-amylase in pulmonary secretions is unknown. Evidence varies on the relationship between α-amylase and clinical outcomes. Although detection of α-amylase in pulmonary secretions is useful to identify that aspiration has occurred, the lack of standardized reference values, the lack of knowledge regarding duration of detection following aspiration, and mixed findings related to clinical outcomes, limit its usefulness as a measurement tool. If α-amylase is to be used in research and/or clinical practice, additional data are needed to assist in interpretation and application of findings.
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Registered trials
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