Acta paediatrica
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'Permissive hypercapnia' is a familiar term in neonatal intensive care, given the widespread adoption of low-tidal-volume ventilation strategies applied with the goal of decreasing respiratory morbidity. Recent evidence suggesting that hypercapnic acidosis may itself have protective effects on the lung and other organs has led to the coining of a new phrase, 'therapeutic hypercapnia', which also encompasses the use of supplemental inspired CO(2). ⋯ Experimental evidence suggests that mild-moderate hypercapnia can improve tissue oxygenation and perfusion, which may ameliorate injury to the immature lung and brain. However, hypercapnia may also be associated with adverse outcomes, and the range of PaCO(2) levels that are both safe and effective for specific subsets of neonates has yet to be determined.
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To study if medication error rate decreased as a consequence of a simple observation process of registering its occurrence. ⋯ The presence of a person reviewing and registering the drug records apparently had by itself a substantial positive effect on the overall drug error rate. This phenomenon known as the Hawthorne effect should be taken in consideration when evaluating the efficacy of any preventive intervention aimed at improving patient safety.