Crit Care Resusc
-
Lack of management guidelines for lifethreatening asthma (LTA) risks practice variation. This study aims to elucidate management practices of LTA in the intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ In LTA, practice variation is common, with opportunities to improve discharge management plans and asthma education.
-
Low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) of 4-8 mL/kg of ideal body weight (IBW) reduces mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome, and, more recently, it has been recommended as the default therapy for all controlled ventilation. However, adherence to LTVV is poor. Barriers to adherence include not having height measurements taken or IBW calculated during admission. The aim of our project was to develop and validate a simple one step biometric measuring tool to directly estimate tidal volume (VT) in ventilated patients based on their demispan. ⋯ Estimating VT using of our biometric one step approach based on demispan correlates well with VT derived from vertical height. The simplicity of its use and accuracy could lead to improved adherence in a large cohort of patients who currently do not receive the recommended VT restriction.