Resp Care
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Comparative Study
The impact of endotracheal suctioning on gas exchange and hemodynamics during lung-protective ventilation in acute respiratory distress syndrome.
To evaluate the respiratory and hemodynamic effects of open suctioning (OS) versus closed suctioning (CS) during pressure-control (PC) and volume-control (VC) ventilation, using a lung-protective ventilation strategy in an animal model of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ⋯ PaO2/FIO2) was better maintained during CS with both VC and PC modes during lung-protective ventilation for ARDS, as compared with OS, and shunt fraction post-suctioning changed least with PC.
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Dexmedetomidine is a selective alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist that exhibits sedative, analgesic, anxiolytic, and sympatholytic effects without respiratory-drive depression. We prospectively evaluated the use of dexmedetomidine to facilitate the withdrawal of mechanical ventilation and extubation in 5 trauma/surgical intensive-care-unit patients who had failed previous weaning attempts due to agitation and hyperdynamic cardiopulmonary response. ⋯ Dexmedetomidine appears to maintain adequate sedation without hemodynamic instability or respiratory-drive depression, and thus may facilitate extubation in agitated difficult-to-wean patients; it therefore deserves further investigation toward this novel use.