American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Aug 2021
Randomized Controlled Trial Pragmatic Clinical TrialProtocolized Post-Extubation Respiratory Support to Prevent Reintubation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Rationale: Respiratory support (noninvasive ventilation or high-flow nasal cannula) applied at the time of extubation has been reported to reduce reintubation rates, but concerns regarding effectiveness have limited uptake into practice. Objectives: To determine if providing postextubation respiratory support to all patients undergoing extubation in a medical ICU would decrease the incidence of reintubation. Methods: We conducted a pragmatic, two-armed, cluster-crossover trial of adults undergoing extubation from invasive mechanical ventilation between October 1, 2017, and March 31, 2019, in the medical ICU of an academic medical center. ⋯ A total of 57 patients (15.9%) in the protocolized support group experienced reintubation compared with 52 patients (13.3%) in the usual care group (odds ratio, 1.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.82 to 1.84; P = 0.32). Conclusions: Among a broad population of critically ill adults undergoing extubation from invasive mechanical ventilation at an academic medical center, protocolized postextubation respiratory support, primarily characterized by an increase in the use of high-flow nasal cannula, did not prevent reintubation compared with usual care. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT0328831).
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Aug 2021
Ventilatory Variables and Mechanical Power in Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
Rationale: Mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has decreased after the adoption of lung-protective strategies. Lower Vt, lower driving pressure (ΔP), lower respiratory rates (RR), and higher end-expiratory pressure have all been suggested as key components of lung protection strategies. A unifying theoretical explanation has been proposed that attributes lung injury to the energy transfer rate (mechanical power) from the ventilator to the patient, calculated from a combination of several ventilator variables. ⋯ The driving pressure, RR, and mechanical power were significant predictors of mortality in adjusted analyses. The impact of the ΔP on mortality was four times as large as that of the RR. Conclusions: Mechanical power was associated with mortality during controlled mechanical ventilation in ARDS, but a simpler model using only the ΔP and RR was equivalent.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Aug 2021
Benefits of Airway Androgen Receptor Expression in Human Asthma.
Rationale: Androgens are potentially beneficial in asthma, but AR (androgen receptor) has not been studied in human airways. Objectives: To measure whether AR and its ligands are associated with human asthma outcomes. Methods: We compared the effects of AR expression on lung function, symptom scores, and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in adults enrolled in SARP (Severe Asthma Research Program). ⋯ The levels of the AR ligand precursor dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate correlated positively with the FEV1 in both women and men. Conclusions: Higher bronchial AR expression and higher androgen levels are associated with better lung function, fewer symptoms, and a lower FeNO in human asthma. The role of androgens should be considered in asthma management.