Respiratory care
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Editorial Comment
Actual Versus Ideal Body Weight: The Devil Is in the Details.
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Extracorporeal lung support can be achieved using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and extracorporeal CO2 removal. The ECMO systems allow a total lung support, providing both blood oxygenation and CO2 removal. Unlike ECMO, extracorporeal CO2 removal refers to an extracorporeal circuit that provides a partial lung support and selectively extracts CO2 from blood. ⋯ This is possible thanks to the continuous development of technology together with the customization of sedative protocols. Awake extracorporeal support is a specific approach in which the patient is awake and potentially cooperative while receiving ECMO. The present analysis aims to synthesize the main results obtained by using extracorporeal circuits in patients with respiratory failure, particularly in those patients with hypercapnia.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of Flow Resistance Characteristics and Placement of Two Endotracheal Tubes.
In a traditional endotracheal tube (ETT), there is a linear outward pull through its attachment to the ventilator tubing that leads to risk of accidental dislodgement. This study was conducted to assess the ETT flow characteristics and to evaluate providers' intubation experience using two ETT's in a simulated setting. ⋯ There was minimal impact on flow resistance on pressure or volume with the SecureTube compared with the standard tube. Most providers felt comfortable intubating with the SecureTube and took a comparable amount of time to intubate in a simulated setting. We observed low task load scores for securement, maintenance, and manipulation per nurses and respiratory therapists.
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Closed suction catheters are commonly used with pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs) in ventilator-dependent patients receiving bronchodilator therapy. Although heated/humidified circuits result in a decrease in drug delivery, no studies have investigated the impact of a closed suction catheter with a pMDI on aerosol delivery during mechanical ventilation. We sought to quantify aerosol delivery with a variety of closed suction catheters and pMDI adapters in a simulated ventilator-dependent adult lung model with and without exhaled humidity. ⋯ Closed suction catheter, pMDI spacer/adapters, and exhalation conditions have an impact on drug delivery during simulated adult mechanical ventilation. Aerosol delivery without exhaled humidity appears to report unrealistically high values in comparison to the more accurate values with simulated exhalation humidity.