Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Abdominal functional electrical stimulation to assist ventilator weaning in critical illness: a double-blinded, randomised, sham-controlled pilot study.
For every day a person is dependent on mechanical ventilation, respiratory and cardiac complications increase, quality of life decreases and costs increase by > $USD 1500. Interventions that improve respiratory muscle function during mechanical ventilation can reduce ventilation duration. The aim of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility of employing an abdominal functional electrical stimulation (abdominal FES) training program with critically ill mechanically ventilated patients. We also investigated the effect of abdominal FES on respiratory muscle atrophy, mechanical ventilation duration and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay. ⋯ Our compliance rates demonstrate the feasibility of using abdominal FES with critically ill mechanically ventilated patients. While abdominal FES did not lead to differences in abdominal muscle or diaphragm thickness, it may be an effective method to reduce ventilation duration and ICU length of stay in this patient group. A fully powered study into this effect is warranted.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Interaction between low tidal volume ventilation strategy and severity of acute respiratory distress syndrome: a retrospective cohort study.
Although low tidal volume is strongly recommended for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), whether or not the benefit varies according to the severity of ARDS remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether or not there is an interaction between low tidal volume and severity of ARDS. ⋯ The benefits of low tidal volume ventilation remain uncertain in patients with severe ARDS. Further studies are needed to validate this significant interaction.