Resp Care
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Portable ventilators require battery power during transport or when alternating current is unavailable. Manufacturers report battery duration at nominal ventilator settings. ⋯ Battery duration differs greatly among the portable ventilators tested. Clinicians must be aware that portable ventilator battery duration is affected by control settings, lung impedance characteristics, and portable ventilator characteristics. Battery duration may be shorter than that reported in the operator's manual for each portable ventilator tested.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A comparison of intrapulmonary percussive ventilation and conventional chest physiotherapy for the treatment of atelectasis in the pediatric patient.
Compare intrapulmonary percussive ventilation (IPV) to conventional chest physiotherapy (CPT) and determine their effects on improving atelectasis and static compliance in pediatric patients. ⋯ In the retrospective study a clinically important improvement in atelectasis was seen in patients who received IPV therapy. In the controlled, clinical trial the IPV group showed more clinically important improvement in atelectasis than the CPT group. IPV is a safe and effective method of alternative airway clearance and can be used on patients with artificial airways.
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Comparative Study
Performance of a new screening spirometer at a community health fair.
Compare the results from a new screening spirometer (EasyOne) with the results from a standard laboratory spirometer (Vmax) approved by the American Thoracic Society. ⋯ The new screening spirometer is suitable for clinical use.
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema but has been defined recently as the physiologic finding of nonreversible pulmonary function impairment. This surveillance summary reports trends in different measures of COPD during 1971-2000. ⋯ COPD is a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and disability in the U.S. Despite its ease of diagnosis, COPD remains an underdiagnosed disease, chiefly in its milder and more treatable form.
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We tested the feasibility of incorporating a dyspnea evaluation protocol into bedside assessments routinely performed by respiratory therapists (RTs) on mechanically ventilated patients at a university teaching hospital. ⋯ Initial implementation of a dyspnea evaluation protocol was moderately successful in prompting RTs to ask mechanically ventilated patients whether they felt short of breath during scheduled bedside visits. A rapid bedside evaluation for dyspnea may prove useful in evaluating the effect on patient distress of implementing protocols designed to optimize ventilator settings or the use of sedating drugs during mechanical ventilation. By this approach RTs may also be able to promote a patient-centered approach to managing respiratory failure in the intensive care unit.