Resp Care
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Allied health personnel and nonanesthesiologist physicians often undergo training in tracheal intubation but then may actually use the skill relatively infrequently. This study assessed retention of skills one year after initial training and identified specific areas of knowledge critical to successful performance of intubation. Eleven respiratory therapists on the staff of a 253-bed hospital, each of whom had been trained one year previously in airway management, were evaluated. ⋯ When the blade was levered, 8 of 10 intubations failed. When the tube was not inserted from the right side of the face, 6 of 12 failed. The useful findings of this study are: (1) occasional performance of intubation did not ensure skill maintenance; (2) cognitive and procedural abilities correlated, suggesting benefits to study as well as to practical training; and (3) two specific mistakes were associated with a high incidence of failure.
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Comparative Study
Assessment of aspiration in patients with tracheostomies: comparison of the bedside colored dye assessment with videofluoroscopic examination.
Aspiration is a serious clinical concern in patients with long-term artificial airways. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of a bedside colored dye assessment of aspiration in tracheostomized patients and to determine its comparability to a more sophisticated videofluoroscopic study. ⋯ The colored dye test for aspiration can provide useful information when positive, but because there is a significant false negative rate, decisions made on the basis of a negative test must be made with caution.
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We report the successful weaning and extubation of an infant from a SensorMedics 3100A high-frequency oscillator without returning to conventional ventilation. A 7-week-old term infant with respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis complicated by cystic pulmonary lesions repeatedly failed attempts to return to conventional ventilation from high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) for weaning, because of recurrent pneumothoraces. A computed tomography of the chest revealed multiple well defined cysts of various sizes involving both lungs. ⋯ The weaning strategy consisted of a technique we refer to as "sprinting." Using this method, the patient was successfully extubated directly from HFOV, with no complications. A follow-up computed tomography of the chest showed marked improvement in the size of the cystic lesions. The patient was discharged home with no need for home oxygen therapy.
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During pressure-support ventilation, tidal volume (V(T)) can vary according to the level of the patient's respiratory effort and modifications of the thoraco-pulmonary mechanics. To keep V(T) as constant as possible, the Siemens Servo 300 ventilator proposes an original modification of pressure-support ventilation, called volume-support ventilation (VSV). ⋯ The clinician sets V(T) and respiratory frequency, and the ventilator calculates a preset minute volume. It has been shown that ineffective respiratory efforts can occur during pressure-support ventilation.
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Retention of respiratory therapists (RTs) is a desired institutional goal that reflects department loyalty and RTs' satisfaction. When RTs leave a department, services are disrupted and new therapists must undergo orientation and training, which requires time and expense. Despite the widely shared goal of minimal turnover, neither the annual rate nor the associated expense of turnover for RTs has been described. ⋯ Turnover among respiratory therapists poses a substantial problem because of its frequency and expense. Greater attention to issues affecting turnover and to enhancing retention of RTs is warranted.