Articles: mechanical-ventilation.
-
Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol · Jan 2017
Tracheostomy in the Intensive Care Unit: a University Hospital in a Developing Country Study.
Introduction Tracheostomy is the commonest surgical procedure in intensive care units (ICUs). It not only provides stable airway and facilitates pulmonary toilet and ventilator weaning, but also decreases the direct laryngeal injury of endotracheal intubation, and improves patient comfort and daily living activity. Objective The objective of this study is to assess the incidence, indications, timing, complications (early and late), and the outcome of tracheostomy on patients in the intensive care units (ICU) at a university hospital in a developing country. ⋯ Complications after tracheostomy were 13.9% tracheal stenosis and 25% subglottic stenosis. Conclusion Prolonged endotracheal intubation is the man indication of tracheostomy, performed after two weeks of intubation. Although there were no major early complications, laryngotracheal stenosis is still a challenging sequel for tracheostomy that needs to be investigated to be prevented.
-
For delivery of inhaled aerosols, vibrating mesh systems are more efficient than jet nebulizers are and do not require added gas flow. We assessed the reliability of a vibrating mesh nebulizer (Aerogen Solo, Aerogen Ltd, Galway Ireland) suitable for use in mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Aerogen Solo nebulization was often randomly interrupted with a wide range of retained volumes.
-
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2016
ReviewTranspulmonary Pressure: The Importance of Precise Definitions and Limiting Assumptions.
Recent studies applying the principles of respiratory mechanics to respiratory disease have used inconsistent and mutually exclusive definitions of the term "transpulmonary pressure." By the traditional definition, transpulmonary pressure is the pressure across the whole lung, including the intrapulmonary airways, (i.e., the pressure difference between the opening to the pulmonary airway and the pleural surface). However, more recently transpulmonary pressure has also been defined as the pressure across only the lung tissue (i.e., the pressure difference between the alveolar space and the pleural surface), traditionally known as the "elastic recoil pressure of the lung." Multiple definitions of the same term, and failure to recognize their underlying assumptions, have led to different interpretations of lung physiology and conclusions about appropriate therapy for patients. ⋯ These misconceptions include assertions that normal pleural pressure must be negative (subatmospheric) and that a pressure in the pleural space may not be substantially positive when a subject is relaxed with an open airway. We urge specificity and uniformity when using physiological terms to define the physical state of the lungs, the chest wall, and the integrated respiratory system.
-
Annals of intensive care · Dec 2016
High-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy versus noninvasive ventilation in immunocompromised patients with acute respiratory failure: an observational cohort study.
Acute respiratory failure is the main cause of admission to intensive care unit in immunocompromised patients. In this subset of patients, the beneficial effects of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) as compared to standard oxygen remain debated. High-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC) is an alternative to standard oxygen or NIV, and its use in hypoxemic patients has been growing. Therefore, we aimed to compare outcomes of immunocompromised patients treated using HFNC alone or NIV as a first-line therapy for acute respiratory failure in an observational cohort study over an 8-year period. Patients with acute-on-chronic respiratory failure, those treated with standard oxygen alone or needing immediate intubation, and those with a do-not-intubate order were excluded. ⋯ Based on this observational cohort study including immunocompromised patients admitted to intensive care unit for acute respiratory failure, intubation and mortality rates could be lower in patients treated with HFNC alone than with NIV. The use of NIV remained independently associated with poor outcomes.
-
Intensive Care Med Exp · Dec 2016
Kinetics of arterial carbon dioxide during veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support in an apnoeic porcine model.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a technique widely used worldwide to improve gas exchange. Changes in ECMO settings affect both oxygen and carbon dioxide. The impact on oxygenation can be followed closely by continuous pulse oximeter. Conversely, carbon dioxide equilibrates much slower and is not usually monitored directly. ⋯ Fifty minutes was enough to reach the equilibrium of PaCO2 after ECMO initiation or after changes in blood and sweep gas flow with an ECMO blood flow of 3500 ml/min. Longer periods may be necessary with lower ECMO blood flows.