Critical care medicine
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To present a clinical ethics case report that illustrates the benefits of using lip-reading interpreters for ventilated patients who are capable of mouthing words. ⋯ For the ventilated patient who can mouth words, lip-reading interpretation offers an opportunity for communication. It is time we routinely provide lip-reading interpreters as well as recognize the need for prospective studies examining the role of lip-reading in medical settings.
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Critical care medicine · May 2012
Acute lung inflammatory response and injury after hemorrhagic shock are more severe in postpartum rabbits.
The acute respiratory distress syndrome may complicate postpartum hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation, but its mechanisms are not yet well defined. We studied the lung inflammatory response to postpartum hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation in a rabbit model and the role of the nuclear factor-κB pathway. ⋯ After hemorrhage and resuscitation, obstetric rabbits had significantly shorter survival time and more severe lung injury than nonobstetric rabbits. The mechanism may be through upregulation of the signal transductions of the nuclear factor-κB pathways.
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Critical care medicine · May 2012
Spontaneous breathing during lung-protective ventilation in an experimental acute lung injury model: high transpulmonary pressure associated with strong spontaneous breathing effort may worsen lung injury.
We investigated whether potentially injurious transpulmonary pressure could be generated by strong spontaneous breathing and exacerbate lung injury even when plateau pressure is limited to <30 cm H2O. ⋯ Even when plateau pressure is limited to <30 cm H2O, combined with increased respiratory rate and tidal volume, high transpulmonary pressure generated by strong spontaneous breathing effort can worsen lung injury. When spontaneous breathing is preserved during mechanical ventilation, transpulmonary pressure and tidal volume should be strictly controlled to prevent further lung injury.