Journal of intensive care medicine
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J Intensive Care Med · May 2009
Decannulation following tracheostomy for prolonged mechanical ventilation.
We examined the process of decannulation following tracheostomy in patients transferred to a long-term acute care (LTAC) hospital for weaning from prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV). ⋯ Decannulation was achieved in 35% of patients transferred to an LTAC for weaning from prolonged mechanical ventilation.
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J Intensive Care Med · May 2009
ReviewCoronary angiography predicts improved outcome following cardiac arrest: propensity-adjusted analysis.
Determine if clinical parameters of resuscitated patients predict coronary angiography (CATH) performance and if receiving CATH after cardiac arrest is associated with outcome. ⋯ CATH is more likely to be performed in certain patients and identifies a significant number of high-grade stenoses in this population. Receiving CATH was independently associated with good outcome.
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This study introduces the design and construction of a mattress insert to produce more effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The mattress insert deflates, making the mattress insert a rigid surface. Using a device that administers a constant compression depth onto a manikin, we were able to show that our mattress insert more effectively directed the compressive force to the manikin compared to the current practice of using a headboard on top of a mattress. ⋯ Because the mattress insert starts deflating immediately after the vacuum is turned on, 1 person is needed to initiate chest compressions. Compression begins while the mattress deflates. Running compression tests at incremental time periods, we found that our design reaches and surpasses the compression efficiency when using a headboard in 10 seconds.