American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 1998
Differences in contributing factors to tuberculosis incidence in U.S. -born and foreign-born persons.
To determine the factors contributing to tuberculosis incidence in the U. S.-born and foreign-born populations in San Francisco, California, and to assess the effectiveness of tuberculosis control efforts in these populations, we performed a population-based molecular epidemiologic study using 367 patients with strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis recently introduced into the city. IS6110-based and PGRS-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses were performed on M. tuberculosis isolates. ⋯ S.-born population. Elimination of tuberculosis in both the foreign-born and the U. S. -born populations will require widespread use of preventive therapy.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 1998
Continuous recordings of mixed venous oxygen saturation during weaning from mechanical ventilation and the ramifications thereof.
To define the importance of hemodynamic performance and global tissue oxygenation in determining weaning outcome, we recorded mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) continuously in eight ventilator-supported patients who failed a trial of spontaneous breathing and 11 patients who tolerated a trial and were successfully extubated. Immediately before the weaning trial, SvO2 was not statistically different in the two groups (p = 0.28). On discontinuation of the ventilator, SvO2 fell progressively in the failure group (p < 0.01), whereas it did not change in the success group. ⋯ The failure group did not increase O2 transport, partly because of elevations in right- and left-ventricular afterload, but, instead, increased O2 extraction ratio (p < 0.02) with a consequent fall in SvO2. In turn, the low SvO2 combined with greater venous admixture (p < 0.0006) led to rapid arterial desaturation (p < 0.006) and a relative decrease in O2 being supplied to the tissues. In conclusion, ventilator-supported patients who failed a trial of spontaneous breathing developed a progressive decrease in SvO2 caused by the combination of a relative decrease in convective O2 transport and an increase in O2 extraction by the tissues.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 1998
Clinical characteristics, respiratory functional parameters, and outcome of a two-hour T-piece trial in patients weaning from mechanical ventilation.
The discrepancy in results from different studies regarding outcome of weaning from mechanical ventilation may be due to several factors such as the differences in patient populations and weaning indexes used. In order to analyze the clinical characteristics and weaning indexes in patients undergoing a 2-h T-piece weaning trial and the relationship between the etiology of acute respiratory failure (ARF) and the outcome of this weaning trial, we prospectively studied 217 patients receiving mechanical ventilation who met standard weaning criteria. Successful weaning occurred in 57.6% (125 of 217) of patients: 13 of 33 (39.4%) patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 27 of 46 (58.7%) neurologic patients, and 85 of 138 (61.6%) patients with ARF. ⋯ Using these predictors, 74.6% of the whole population, 76.1% of patients with ARF, 93.9% of patients with COPD, and 73.9% of neurologic patients were accurately classified as weaning successes or failures. The highest rate of reintubation occurred in neurologic patients. In this group, the ability to cough and clear respiratory secretions, objectively reflected by MEP, may help in clinical decision-making.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 1998
Comparative StudyReversal of hypocalcemia and decreased afterload in sepsis. Effect on myocardial systolic and diastolic function.
Sepsis is a major cause of death in intensive care units. Clinically, sepsis induces a number of physiologic and metabolic abnormalities, including decreased myocardial contractility and decreased plasma ionized calcium. There is debate about the proper therapy of hypocalcemia in sepsis because calcium administration may worsen cell function by causing intracellular Ca2+ overload. ⋯ Surprisingly, correction of decreased afterload in septic rats, using the pure alpha-agonist phenylephrine, caused normalization of all indices of cardiac contractility, indicating that the presumed decrease in cardiac function was due entirely to an effect of the decreased afterload to "unload" the left ventricle. We conclude that Ca2+ administration is not detrimental to cardiac function in the rat CLP model. Although the rat CLP model is widely utilized and reproduces many of the clinical hallmarks of sepsis, it does not cause intrinsic myocardial depression and, therefore, it may not be an appropriate model to investigate the clinical cardiac dysfunction that occurs in patients with sepsis.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 1998
Comparative StudyRespiratory symptoms and lung function in aborigines from tropical Western Australia.
To estimate the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, smoking, and atopy in a population of Australians of Aboriginal descent (AAD), to determine the association of these and other factors with lung function, and to compare levels of lung function of AAD with Australians of European descent (AED) according to age and height, and to explore reasons for their differences, we conducted a study of 96 male (41 of whom were under 18 yr of age) and 111 female (48 of whom were under 18 yr of age) AAD living in a single remote tropical community in 1993. This population provided data on age, height, and lung function. A modified British Medical Research Council (MRC) questionnaire on respiratory symptoms and smoking was administered. ⋯ Lung function was reduced in adult AAD as compared with adult AED, although it was not possible to determine statistically whether lung function started to decline at an earlier age or declined faster with increasing age in AAD. A history of asthma, smoking, dyspnea, cough, or sputum production; atopic status; and increased bronchial responsiveness were all associated with lower levels of lung function. Differences in lung function between AAD and AED appear to be determined by characteristics that may be inherited, as well as by adverse external influences.