Medicina intensiva
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Most patients who require mechanical ventilation for longer than 24 hours, and who improve the condition leading to the indication of ventilatory support, can be weaned after passing a first spontaneous breathing test. The challenge is to improve the weaning of patients who fail that first test. ⋯ In recent years, however, new applications of usual techniques as noninvasive ventilation, new ventilation methods such as automatic tube compensation (ATC), mandatory minute ventilation (MMV), adaptive support ventilation or automatic weaning systems based on pressure support have been described. Their possible role in weaning from mechanical ventilation among patients with difficult or prolonged weaning remains to be established.
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In this prospective clinical trial we aimed to answer if spontaneous exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in the trap of the expiratory arm of the ventilator could replace EBC collected by coolant chamber standardized with Argon as an inert gas. Second, if EBC pH could predict ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) and mortality. ⋯ Spontaneous EBC pH could not be extrapolated to EBC pH from coolant chamber and it did not change in subjects who dead, neither subject with VAP in comparison with baseline data. The lack of other biomarker in EBC and the lack of a control group determinate the need for further studies in this setting.