Chest
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Recently we showed that work of breathing was higher in the immediate period after extubation as compared with spontaneous breathing through an endotracheal tube. In this study, we evaluated the glottis and trachea as potential sites of increased airway resistance after extubation. We measured breathing pattern, work of breathing, and pressure time product in eight patients during weaning from mechanical ventilation. ⋯ This value was larger than the mean cross-sectional area of the endotracheal tubes used in these patients (50 mm2). We conclude that neither tracheal nor laryngeal disease caused the increase in work of breathing after extubation. Our data suggest that upper airway narrowing at a more proximal site, such as the oropharynx or velopharynx may be the cause of the increase in respiratory work.
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Independent lung ventilation using two ventilators has been attempted in the treatment of acute respiratory failure due to unilateral lung disease. However, this method has been found to be cumbersome and difficult to use. We reasoned that a bifurcated endotracheal tube with a variable resistance valve may enable us to change the inspiratory airway pressures and, hence, the inspired tidal volume to one lung using a single ventilator. ⋯ With a ventilator-generated peak inspiratory pressure of 31 +/- 2 cm H2O, the airway pressure distal to the valve was randomly changed from 31 cm H2O to 23 +/- 2, 15 +/- 1, 8 +/- 1, and 0 cm H2O. This resulted in progressive diversion of tidal volume from the experimental lung to the control lung and an increase in exhaled tidal volume due to a decrease in air leak from the bronchopleural fistula. These data suggest that a variable resistance valve may be used for independent lung ventilation using a single ventilator.
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Case Reports
Reversal of 'refractory septic shock' by infusion of amrinone and angiotensin II in an anthracycline-treated patient.
A 53-year-old granulocytopenic woman with malignant lymphoma treated with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) chemotherapy, including doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and autologues bone marrow transplantation, presented in the clinical state of "refractory septic shock" caused by Escherichia coli. Despite inotropic treatment with dopamine, dobutamine, and norepinephrine infusion, the patient's condition did not improve, but during treatment with amrinone and angiotensin II infusion, the septic shock was reversed. The patient was monitored with a pulmonary artery catheter and underwent repeated echocardiographic examinations. ⋯ Apparently these beta-receptors were bypassed via the enzymatic action of amrinone upon cyclic monoadenosine phosphate. This is, to our knowledge, the first doxorubicin-treated patient with septic shock refractory to conventional vasopressor therapy whose condition reversed by inotropic treatment with amrinone and angiotensin II. This treatment may prove to be an alternative choice for patients developing "refractory septic shock" unresponsive to treatment with norepinephrine, dobutamine, and dopamine.
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Postoperative fever occurs in many patients. If no infection is found, atelectasis, if present, may be blamed. This study of 100 postoperative cardiac surgery patients followed up from day of surgery through the second postoperative day with daily portable chest radiographs and continuous bladder thermometry was designed to look for an association between atelectasis and fever. ⋯ When defined as temperature > or = 38.5 degrees C, the daily incidence of fever fell daily from 14 to 3 to 1%. Using chi 2 analysis, no association could be found between fever and amount of atelectasis. This contradicts common textbook dogma but agrees with previous human study and animal experiments.
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We describe the novel approach of antegrade radial artery cannulation in five pediatric patients after failure of standard retrograde cannulation by percutaneous and cutdown technique. This antegrade cannulation led to successful, reliable continuous blood pressure monitoring and arterial blood sampling without complications. We believe antegrade cannulation can be successfully used when radial arteries are obstructed and retrograde blood flow is observed during failed cutdown attempts at standard retrograde arterial cannulation.