The European respiratory journal : official journal of the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology
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Thoraco-abdominal asynchrony is frequently encountered during inhalation anaesthesia in children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy causing an upper airway obstruction. The study goal was to evaluate the impact of different airway opening manoeuvres on thoraco-abdominal asynchrony as a measure of airway obstruction. Thirty anaesthetized children (aged 2-8 yrs; sevoflurane 3% in 50% oxygen/nitrous oxide) were studied prior to elective adenotonsillectomy using respiratory inductance plethysmography to record ribeage and abdominal wave forms as a basis for calculation of the phase angle. ⋯ In anaesthetized children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy, airway opening manoeuvres have distinct effects on thoraco-abdominal asynchrony. Delivery of continuous positive airway pressure and jaw thrust can be the first airway opening manoeuvres to improve breathing patterns. Chin lift without additional continuous positive airway pressure should be used with caution in these patients because it may convert partial into almost complete airway obstruction.
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The reproducibility and acceptability of airways resistance measurements using the interrupter technique (MicroRint) obtained using a mouthpiece were compared with those using a face mask. Fifty children aged 4-7 yrs performed four sets of six Rint measurements; two using a mouthpiece and two using a face mask with integral mouthpiece. Complete data were obtained from 45 (90%) children using the mouthpiece and 43 (86%) children using the mask. ⋯ Sixty-seven per cent of children preferred the face mask but this was more time-consuming (p = 0.03). Children did not produce more repeatable results using their preferred method, nor did they improve with practice. Repeatable airway resistance measurements using the interrupter technique can be obtained from young children using either a mouthpiece or a face mask, but there are significant clinical and statistical differences between the results obtained.
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The key role of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) is well documented in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) since it may avoid endotrachal intubation in >50% of cases when used as the initial treatment. However, currently only minimal data is available to assess usefulness of NPPV in COPD patients on a long-term basis. Even if such studies are difficult to manage, there is clearly a need for prospective studies comparing long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) and NPPV in the most severe COPD in a large amount of patients and on a real long-term basis of several years. ⋯ NPPV should also be considered after an ARF episode successfully treated by noninvasive ventilation but with the impossibility to wean the patient from the ventilator. Thus, noninvasive positive pressure ventilation could be proposed as a preventive treatment in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with unstable respiratory condition associated with fluctuating hypercapnia before, during and after an acute respiratory failure episode, avoiding the need for a tracheotomy. Adjunction of noninvasive ventilation to exercise rehabilitation is under evaluation.
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Comparative Study
Noninvasive pressure preset ventilation for the treatment of Cheyne-Stokes respiration during sleep.
Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) during sleep is common in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). This pattern of breathing fragments sleep, leading to daytime symptoms of sleepiness and fatigue. It was hypothesized that by controlling CSR with noninvasive pressure preset ventilation (NPPV), there would be a decrease in sleep fragmentation and an improvement in sleep quality. ⋯ Sleep architecture showed a trend toward improvement with a reduction in stage 1 and 2 (79 +/- 7% during the diagnostic night versus 72 +/- 10% during NPPV, (p=0.057)), whilst sleep efficiency, slow-wave sleep (SWS), and rapid eye movement (REM) were not altered. Controlling Cheyne-Stokes respiration with noninvasive pressure preset ventilation resulted in reduced arousal and improved sleep quality in the patients with congestive heart failure. Noninvasive pressure preset ventilation should be considered a potential therapy for Cheyne-Stokes respiration in congestive heart failure in those patients who do not respond or fail to tolerate nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy.
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Most of the evidence regarding the association between particulate air pollution and emergency room visits or hospital admissions for respiratory conditions and asthma comes from the USA. European time-series analyses have suggested that gaseous air pollutants are important determinants of acute hospitalization for respiratory conditions, at least as important as particulate mass. The association between daily mean levels of suspended particles and gaseous pollutants (sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone) was examined. ⋯ Among children, O3 remained a strong indicator of acute respiratory infections. Carbon monoxide and photochemical pollutants (nitrogen dioxide, ozone) appear to be determinants of acute respiratory conditions in Rome. Since carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide are good indicators of combustion products from traffic related sources, the detected effect may be due to unmeasured fine and ultrafine particles.