Chest
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Comparative Study
Evaluation of respiratory inductive plethysmography in controlled ventilation: measurement of tidal volume and PEEP-induced changes of end-expiratory lung volume.
To determine the accuracy of respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP) with a respiratory monitor (Respitrace Plus; NIMS Inc., Miami) operating in the DC-mode for the measurement of tidal volumes (VT) and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP)-induced changes of end-expiratory lung volume (deltaEELV) in patients with normal pulmonary function, acute lung injury (ALI), and COPD during volume-controlled ventilation. ⋯ In a mixed group of patients undergoing controlled ventilation, RIP using the Respitrace Plus monitor was not consistently precise enough for quantitative evaluation of VT and EELV when compared to our reference methods. This was most evident in patients with COPD. For long-term volume measurements, a better control of the baseline drift of RIP should be achieved.
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Comparative Study
Measuring resource use in the ICU with computerized therapeutic intervention scoring system-based data.
In this era of health-care reform, there is increasing need to monitor and control health-care resource consumption. This requires the development of measurement tools that are practical, uniform, reproducible, and of sufficient detail to allow comparison among institutions, among select groups of patients, and among individual patients. We explored the feasibility of generating an index of resource use based on the Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (TISS) from hospital electronic billing data. Such an index is potentially comparable across institutions, allows assessment of care at many levels, is well understood by clinicians, and captures many of the resources relevant to the ICU. ⋯ An automated algorithm can reproduce valid TISS scores from standard hospital billing data, allowing comparison of patients and groups of patients in order to better understand ICU resource use.
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To assess the change in health-related quality of life (HRQL) among Dutch lung transplant patients before and after transplantation. ⋯ Lung transplantation contributes positively to the HRQL of surviving patients over time.
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To determine the influence of mini-BAL culture results on subsequent changes in antibiotic therapy and patient outcomes. ⋯ These data suggest that antibiotic selection prior to obtaining the results of lower airway cultures is an important determinant of outcome for patients with suspected VAP. A delay in initiating adequate antibiotic therapy was associated with a greater mortality. Therefore, the initial selection of antibiotics for the empiric treatment of VAP should be broad enough to cover all likely pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This appears to be especially important in patients having received prior antibiotics.
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(1) To explore the interaction between mechanical ventilation and oleic acid (OA)-induced lung injury on indexes of pulmonary gas exchange and epithelial permeability, and (2) to compare this interaction using two different modes of ventilation: pressure-controlled inverse ratio ventilation (PCIRV) and volume-controlled ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure (VCV PEEP). ⋯ The observation that PaO2 was lower in the PCIRV-treated groups must be interpreted with caution in this animal study with relatively few observations. The finding may reflect differences in the effect of OA injection in the two ventilatory modes. It is also possible that externally applied PEEP is more effective than PCIRV in increasing oxygen tension, either because of a less inhomogenous distribution of ventilation and perfusion or for other reasons. The clearance results imply that PCIRV causes an alteration in lung epithelial or membrane function in comparison to VCV PEEP. This functional difference is most likely caused by the large time-weighted lung volume produced by pressure control in combination with a prolonged inspiration. Induction of high permeability lung injury with OA eliminates the difference between PCIRV and VCV PEEP. It remains to be established whether these findings are relevant with regard to ventilator-associated structural lung injury in man.