Current opinion in critical care
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The aim of this review is to summarize available data, including the most recent ones, to help develop the best possible strategy regarding the use of tracheostomy in ICU patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation or who experience loss of airway-protecting mechanisms. ⋯ A step-by-step individualized approach based on the available evidence allows identifying the best strategy regarding the use of tracheostomy in ICU patients.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Nov 2024
How to protect the diaphragm and the lung with diaphragm neurostimulation.
In the current review, we aim to highlight the evolving evidence on using diaphragm neurostimulation to develop lung and diaphragm protective mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Scientific interest in temporary diaphragm neurostimulation has dramatically evolved in the last few years. Despite a solid physiological rationale and promising preliminary findings confirming a beneficial effect on the diaphragm and lungs, more studies and further technological advances will be needed to establish optimal standardized settings and lead to clinical implementation and improved outcomes.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Nov 2024
How to prevent and how to treat dyspnea in critically ill patients undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation.
To summarize current data regarding the prevalence, risk factors, consequences, assessment and treatment of dyspnea in critically ill patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation. ⋯ As opposed to pain, dyspnea has often been overlooked in terms of detection and management, resulting in its significant underestimation in daily practice. When it is diagnosed, dyspnea can be relieved through straightforward interventions, such as adjusting ventilator settings. Assessing dyspnea in patients undergoing invasive mechanically ventilated may be challenging, especially in noncommunicative patients (RRBS). Implementing a systematic dyspnea assessment in routine, akin to pain, could serve as a first step to reduce RRBS and prevent potential severe psychological consequences. In addition to pharmacological treatments like opioids, a promising approach is to modulate both the sensory (air on the face, trigeminal nerve stimulation) and the affective (relaxing music, hypnosis, directed empathy) components of dyspnea.
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To summarize basic physiological concepts of breathing effort and outline various methods for monitoring effort of inspiratory and expiratory muscles. ⋯ Different tools are available for monitoring the respiratory muscles' effort during mechanical ventilation - from noninvasive screening tools to more invasive quantification methods. This could facilitate a lung and respiratory muscle-protective ventilation approach.
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Mechanical ventilation may have adverse effects on diaphragm and lung function. Lung- and diaphragm-protective ventilation is an approach that challenges the clinician to facilitate physiological respiratory efforts, while maintaining minimal lung stress and strain. Here, we discuss the latest advances in monitoring and interventions to achieve lung- and diaphragm protective ventilation. ⋯ Achieving lung- and diaphragm-protective ventilation may require more than a single intervention; it demands a comprehensive understanding of the (neuro)physiology of breathing and mechanical ventilation, along with the application of a series of interventions under close monitoring. We suggest a bedside-approach to achieve lung- and diaphragm protective ventilation targets.