The New England journal of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation for respiratory failure after extubation.
The need for reintubation after extubation and discontinuation of mechanical ventilation is not uncommon and is associated with increased mortality. Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation has been suggested as a promising therapy for patients with respiratory failure after extubation, but a single-center, randomized trial recently found no benefit. We conducted a multicenter, randomized trial to evaluate the effect of noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation on mortality in this clinical setting. ⋯ Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation does not prevent the need for reintubation or reduce mortality in unselected patients who have respiratory failure after extubation.
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We investigated the clinical significance of plasma concentrations of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA in patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. ⋯ Quantification of plasma EBV DNA is useful for monitoring patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and predicting the outcome of treatment.