Respiratory care
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ARDS is characterized by a non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema with bilateral chest radiograph opacities and hypoxemia refractory to oxygen therapy. It is a common cause of admission to the ICU due to hypoxemic respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Restrictive fluid management seems to be a favorable strategy with no significant reduction in 60-d mortality. Future studies are needed to clarify the efficacy of these therapies on outcomes in patients with severe ARDS, and institution of these therapies may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Emergency Department Blood Gas Utilization and Changes in Ventilator Settings.
Mechanically ventilated patients increasingly spend hours in emergency department beds before ICU admission. This study evaluated the performance of blood gases in mechanically ventilated subjects in the emergency department and subsequent changes to mechanical ventilation settings. ⋯ In this prospective observational study of subjects mechanically ventilated in the emergency department, the majority had a blood gas checked while in the emergency department. While ABGs were associated with having changes made to ventilator settings in the emergency department, clinical findings of hypoxemia, hyperoxia, hypercapnia, and acidemia were not. Inattention to blood gas results may lead to missed opportunities in guiding ventilator changes in the emergency department.
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Editorial Comparative Study
Spontaneous Breathing Trials and Conservative Sedation Practices Reduce Mechanical Ventilation Duration in Subjects With ARDS.
Spontaneous breathing trials (SBTs) and daily sedation interruptions (DSIs) reduce both the duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU length of stay (LOS). The impact of these practices in patients with ARDS has not previously been reported. We examined whether implementation of SBT/DSI protocols reduce duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU LOS in a retrospective group of subjects with ARDS at a large, urban, level-1 trauma center. ⋯ Evidenced-based protocols governing weaning and sedation practices were associated with both reduced mechanical ventilation duration and ICU LOS in subjects with ARDS. However, higher respiratory system compliance in the SBT/DSI cohort also contributed to these improved outcomes.
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In multidimensional Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) classification, the choice of the symptom assessment instrument (modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale [mMRC] or COPD assessment test [CAT]) can lead to a different distribution of patients in each quadrant. Considering that physical activities of daily living (PADL) is an important functional outcome in COPD, the objective of this study was to determine which symptom assessment instrument is more strongly associated with and differentiates better the PADL of patients with COPD. ⋯ The mMRC should be adopted as the classification criterion for symptom assessment in the GOLD ABCD system when focusing on PADL.
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Many recent studies indicate that prenatal maternal distress increases the risk of allergic diseases in children. The mechanisms that favor it are still unclear. ⋯ Maternal stress during pregnancy increases the risk of childhood wheezing. The effects of stress during pregnancy on the onset of allergic diseases in children should be developed and translated into early prevention strategies.