American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Sep 2018
Multicenter StudyGrief Symptoms in Relatives Who Experienced Organ Donation Requests in the ICU.
Studies show that the quality of end-of-life communication and care have a significant impact on the living long after the death of a relative and have been implicated in the burden of psychological symptoms after the ICU experience. In the case of organ donation, the patient's relatives are centrally involved in the decision-making process; yet, few studies have examined the impact of the quality of communication on the burden of psychological symptoms after death. ⋯ Experience of the organ donation process varied between relatives of donor versus nondonor patients, with relatives of nondonors experiencing lower-quality communication, but the decision was not associated with subsequent grief symptoms. Importantly, understanding of brain death is a key element of the organ donation process for relatives.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Sep 2018
Practice GuidelineThe Role of Weight Management in the Treatment of Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea. An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline.
Overweight/obesity is a common, reversible risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea severity (OSA). The purpose of this guideline is to provide evidence-based recommendations for the management of overweight/obesity in patients with OSA. ⋯ Weight-loss interventions, especially comprehensive lifestyle interventions, are associated with improvements in OSA severity, cardiometabolic comorbidities, and quality of life. The American Thoracic Society recommends that clinicians regularly assess weight and incorporate weight management strategies that are tailored to individual patient preferences into the routine treatment of adult patients with OSA who are overweight or obese.