Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
-
Mechanical ventilation during acute respiratory failure in children is associated with development of ventilator-induced lung injury. Experimental models of mechanical ventilation that limit phasic changes in lung volumes and prevent alveolar overdistension appear to be less damaging to the lung. High-frequency oscillatory ventilation, using very small tidal volumes and relatively high end-expiratory lung volumes, provides a safe and effective means of delivering mechanical ventilatory support with the prospect of reducing the development of ventilator-induced lung injury. Despite theoretical advantages and convincing laboratory data, however, the use of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in the paediatric population has not yet been associated with significant improvements in clinically significant outcome measures.
-
The number of publications and the impact factor of journals are accepted estimates of the quantity and quality of research productivity. The objective of the present study was to assess the worldwide scientific contribution in the field of critical care medicine. ⋯ Significant scientific progress in critical care research took place during the period of study (1995-2003). Leaders of research productivity (in terms of absolute numbers) were Western Europe and the USA. Publications originating from Western European countries increased significantly in quantity and quality over the study period. Articles originating from Canada, Japan, and the USA had the highest mean impact factor. Canada was the leader in productivity when adjustments for gross domestic product and population were made.