Articles: function.
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Critical care medicine · Aug 2023
Long-Term Prognosis Following Early Rehabilitation in the ICU: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
Critically ill patients often have residual functional disabilities. Studies have shown that early rehabilitation improves short-term physical function. However, it remains unknown whether early rehabilitation affects long-term prognosis and healthcare resource utilization. ⋯ Starting rehabilitation within 3 days of ICU admission was associated with shorter durations of future hospitalization and lower healthcare costs. Early rehabilitation for ICU patients might be associated with reduced healthcare resource utilization.
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Critical illness imposes a severe insult on the body, with various stressors triggering pronounced cell damage. This compromises cellular function, leading to a high risk of multiple organ failure. Autophagy can remove damaged molecules and organelles but appears insufficiently activated during critical illness. This review discusses insight into the role of autophagy in critical illness and the involvement of artificial feeding in insufficient autophagy activation in critical illness. ⋯ Insufficient autophagy during critical illness is at least partly explained by feeding-induced suppression. This may explain why early enhanced nutrition failed to benefit critically ill patients or even induced harm. Safe, specific activation of autophagy avoiding prolonged starvation opens perspectives for improving outcomes of critical illness.
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Practice Guideline
Respiratory Management of Patients with Neuromuscular Weakness: An American College of Chest Physicians Clinical Practice Guideline and Expert Panel Report.
Respiratory failure is a significant concern in neuromuscular diseases (NMDs). This CHEST guideline examines the literature on the respiratory management of patients with NMD to provide evidence-based recommendations. ⋯ Evidence of best practices for respiratory management in NMD is limited and is based primarily on observational data in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The panel found that pulmonary function testing every 6 months may be beneficial and may be used to initiate noninvasive ventilation (NIV) when clinically indicated. An individualized approach to NIV settings may benefit patients with chronic respiratory failure and sleep-disordered breathing related to NMD. When resources allow, polysomnography or overnight oximetry can help to guide the initiation of NIV. The panel provided guidelines for mouthpiece ventilation, transition to home mechanical ventilation, salivary secretion management, and airway clearance therapies. The guideline panel emphasizes that NMD pathologic characteristics represent a diverse group of disorders with differing rates of decline in lung function. The clinician's role is to add evaluation at the bedside to shared decision-making with patients and families, including respect for patient preferences and treatment goals, considerations of quality of life, and appropriate use of available resources in decision-making.