Articles: mechanical-ventilation.
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The management of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) secondary to the novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) proves to be challenging and controversial. Multiple studies have suggested the likelihood of an atypical pathophysiology to explain the spectrum of pulmonary and systemic manifestations caused by the virus. ⋯ Data derived from the experience of multiple centers around the world have demonstrated that initial clinical efforts should be focused into avoid intubation and mechanical ventilation in hypoxemic COVID-19 patients. On the other hand, COVID-19 patients progressing or presenting into frank ARDS with typical decreased pulmonary compliance, represents another clinical enigma to many clinicians, since routine therapeutic interventions for ARDS are still a subject of debate.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Jul 2020
Effect of Lung Protective Ventilation in Organ Donors on Lung Procurement and Recipient Survival.
Rationale: Previous studies have shown that a lung-protective strategy, which aims at minimizing ventilator-induced lung injury (with low Vt/high positive end-expiratory pressure as the main pillars), in selected potential organ donors after brain death increased lung eligibility and procurement. Objectives: This prospective nationwide cohort study aimed to evaluate the impact of lung-protective ventilation (PV) in nonselected donors on lung procurement and recipient survival after lung transplantation. Methods: We included all reported donors aged 18-70 years after brain death without a lung recovery contraindication and with at least one organ recovered between January 2016 and December 2017. ⋯ One-year survival did not differ between recipients of lungs from donors with and without PV (82.7%, 95% CI 76.0-87.8% vs. 82.3%, 95% CI 78.5-85.4%; P = 0.94). Conclusions: The use of lung PV in nonselected donors may increase lung procurement. One-year survival did not differ between recipients of lungs from donors with PV or from those without PV.
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Observational Study
Bedside calculation of mechanical power during volume- and pressure-controlled mechanical ventilation.
Mechanical power (MP) is the energy delivered to the respiratory system over time during mechanical ventilation. Our aim was to compare the currently available methods to calculate MP during volume- and pressure-controlled ventilation, comparing different equations with the geometric reference method, to understand whether the easier to use surrogate formulas were suitable for the everyday clinical practice. This would warrant a more widespread use of mechanical power to promote lung protection. ⋯ Both for volume-controlled and pressure-controlled ventilation, the surrogate formulas approximate the reference method well enough to warrant their use in the everyday clinical practice. Given that these formulas require nothing more than the variables already displayed by the intensive care ventilator, a more widespread use of mechanical power should be encouraged to promote lung protection against ventilator-induced lung injury.
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Annals of intensive care · Jul 2020
Impact of the perioperative inotropic support in grown-up congenital heart patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a propensity score adjusted analysis.
Grown-up congenital heart (GUCH) patients represent a growing population with a high morbidity risk when undergoing reparative surgery. A main preoperative feature is right ventricular failure, which represents a risk factor for postoperative low cardiac output syndrome. Levosimendan has a potentially beneficial effect. This retrospective study included consecutive GUCH patients with surgeries in a tertiary cardiothoracic centre between 01-01-2013 and 01-10-2017, to test the hypothesis that the postoperative use of levosimendan might be associated with shorter time of mechanical ventilation, when compared with the use of milrinone. To adjust for bias related to the probability of treatment assignment, it uses the inverse propensity score weighting methodology. ⋯ We report a beneficial effect in terms of duration of mechanical ventilation and intensive care stay, and on inotropic requirements of the use of levosimendan following GUCH surgeries. The use of levosimendan in this setting requires validation at a larger scale.