Clinics in chest medicine
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Clinics in chest medicine · Dec 2014
ReviewBeyond low tidal volumes: ventilating the patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
The cornerstone of lung protective ventilation in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a pressure- and volume-limited strategy. Other interventions have also been investigated. ⋯ There is no benefit to the early use of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) in patients with moderate/severe ARDS, although it may be considered as rescue therapy. Further investigations of novel methods of bedside monitoring of mechanical ventilation may help identify the optimal ventilatory strategy.
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The development and severity of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are closely related to dysregulated inflammation, and the duration of ARDS and eventual outcomes are related to persistent inflammation and abnormal fibroproliferation. Corticosteroids are potent modulators of inflammation and inhibitors of fibrosis that have been used since the first description of ARDS in attempts to improve outcomes. ⋯ High-dose and short-course treatment with steroids does not improve the outcomes of patients with ARDS. Additional studies are needed to recommend treatment with steroids for ARDS.
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Clinics in chest medicine · Dec 2014
ReviewMuscle wasting and early mobilization in acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Survivors of acute respiratory distress syndrome often sustain muscle wasting and functional impairment related to intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired weakness (ICUAW) and this disability may persist for years after ICU discharge. Early diagnosis in cooperative patients by physical examination is recommended to identify patients at risk for weaning failure and to minimize prolongation of risk factors for ICUAW. When possible, early rehabilitation in critically ill patients improves functional outcomes, likely by reducing disuse atrophy. Interventions designed to correct the functional impairment are lacking and further research to delineate the molecular pathways that give rise to ICUAW are needed.
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Clinics in chest medicine · Dec 2014
ReviewProne positioning for acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Multiple animal and human studies have shown that prone positioning improves oxygenation and reduces ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) in the setting of acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In this article, the physiologic changes explaining the improvement in oxygenation are reviewed, how prone positioning reduces VILI is described, randomized controlled trials of prone ventilation in patients with ARDS are evaluated, the complications associated with prone ventilation are summarized, suggestions are made as to how these might be reduced or avoided, and when prone ventilation should start and stop and for what duration it should be used are discussed.
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Clinics in chest medicine · Dec 2014
ReviewEnvironmental risk factors for acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Over the past several decades, alcohol abuse and cigarette smoke exposure have been identified as risk factors for the development of ARDS. The mechanisms underlying these relationships are complex and remain under investigation but are thought to involve pulmonary immune impairment and alveolar epithelial and endothelial dysfunction. This review summarizes the epidemiologic data supporting links between these exposures and ARDS susceptibility and outcomes and highlights key mechanistic investigations that provide insight into the pathways by which each exposure is linked to ARDS.