Chest
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Elevation of cardiac output and oxygen delivery improves outcome in septic shock.
Septic shock is characterized by hypoperfusion and tissue energy defects. We prospectively evaluated the therapeutic benefit of augmenting cardiac output and therefore oxygen delivery (DO2) on mortality in patients with septic shock. Twenty-five patients were randomized to a normal treatment (NT) group and 26 patients were randomized to an optimal treatment (OT) group. ⋯ Since some of the NT patients were spontaneously hyperdynamic and some of the OT patients did not achieve their desired end point, patients were arbitrarily subsetted using a midpoint CI of 4.5 L/min/m2. The NT less than 4.5 group had a CI of 3.1 +/- 0.2 L/min/m2 and DO2 of 10.9 +/- 1.0 ml/min/kg while the OT group greater than 4.5 L/min/m2 had a CI of 5.7 +/- 0.2 L/min/m2 and a DO2 of 13.8 +/- 0.7 ml/min/kg (p less than 0.01). Mortality in the NT less than 4.5 group was 74 percent as compared with 40 percent in the OT greater than 4.5 group (p less than 0.05).
-
There are several bronchiolar diseases with different pathologic and clinical findings. Idiopathic BOOP is a distinct entity consisting of a flu-like illness, late inspiratory crackles, patchy infiltrates roentgenographically, and physiologically decreased vital capacity and diffusing capacity. Response to corticosteroid therapy is good and relapse does not occur if sufficient therapy is given. ⋯ Furthermore, the entity can be described to clinicians and pathologists throughout the world in such a fashion that patient care and research can be standardized. Researchers from different centers studying the cause or utilizing treatment protocols are able to discuss a single BOOP entity rather than comparing results of a heterogeneous group of many different types of interstitial lung disorders. This will lead to breakthroughs in discovery of etiologic causes and new effective therapeutic regimens.
-
Comparative Study
Evaluation of respiratory inductive plethysmography in the measurement of breathing pattern and PEEP-induced changes in lung volume.
To assess the accuracy of the respiratory inductive plethysmography in the measurement of PEEP-induced changes in end-expiratory lung volume during mechanical ventilation and its accuracy and stability in the measurement of ventilation during controlled mechanical ventilation and spontaneous breathing. ⋯ The RIP is sufficiently accurate for the measurement of PEEP-induced changes in EELV during controlled mechanical ventilation. The accuracy of tidal volume measurement is similar during mechanical ventilation and spontaneous breathing. The calibration of the RIP is stable enough for bedside monitoring of changes in lung volumes.
-
Comparative Study
Glucose homeostasis. Comparison between hypothermic and normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass.
Disturbance in blood glucose homeostasis during cardiac surgery may cause visceral and metabolic alterations. Hypothermic CPB induces glucose and hormonal changes. As normothermic CPB is used at some institutions, a comparison of blood glucose and plasma hormones between hypothermic and normothermic CPB was performed. ⋯ Hyperglycemia occurred perioperatively in cardiac surgery with dextrose-free priming both during hypothermic and normothermic CPB but normothermic CPB resulted in a slow and steady increase in both glucose and insulin concentrations without the major perturbations that occurred with hypothermic CPB. Postoperatively, higher blood glucose was observed in the hypothermic CPB group.
-
To investigate respiratory muscle strength in patients with hypothyroidism, global respiratory muscle strength was assessed by measuring mouth pressure during PImax and PEmax efforts. Maximum pressures, VC, FEV1, FVC, T3, T4, and TSH were measured in 43 hypothyroid patients. Measurements were made before and three months after replacement therapy with thyroxine. ⋯ A highly statistically significant linear relationship was found between PImax and TSH and between PEmax and TSH as well as between PImax and T3 and PEmax and T3. We conclude that hypothyroidism affects respiratory muscle strength and that this weakness is linearly related to thyroid hormone levels. Respiratory muscle weakness is present in both inspiratory and expiratory muscles and is reversible with treatment.