Resp Care
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Comparative Study
Measurement of functional residual capacity of the lung by partial CO2 rebreathing method during acute lung injury in animals.
Several techniques for measuring the functional residual capacity (FRC) of the lungs in mechanically ventilated patients have been proposed, each of which is based on either nitrogen wash-out or dilution of tracer gases. These methods are expensive, difficult, time-consuming, impractical, or require an intolerably large change in the fraction of inspired oxygen. We propose a CO(2) wash-in method that allows automatic and continual FRC measurement in mechanically ventilated patients. ⋯ These results indicate that FRC measurement via CO(2) rebreathing can reliably detect an FRC decrease during lung injury and can reflect the response of the FRC to treatment with PEEP.
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Review Meta Analysis
Role of noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation in postextubation respiratory failure: a meta-analysis.
There is a need for an intervention that prevents re-intubation in patients who have been weaned off mechanical ventilation. Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) has been shown to facilitate weaning in mechanically ventilated patients. ⋯ Current evidence suggests that NPPV should be used judiciously, if at all, in patients with postextubation respiratory failure, but it appears to be promising as a prophylaxis to prevent re-intubation in patients "at risk" for developing postextubation respiratory failure.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation with different interfaces in patients with respiratory failure after abdominal surgery: a matched-control study.
Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is a relatively common complication after abdominal surgery. ⋯ NPPV can be an alternative to conventional ventilation in patients with ARF after major abdominal surgery, and helmet use is associated with a better tolerance and a lower rate of complications.
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Comparative Study
Educational technology integration and distance learning in respiratory care: practices and attitudes.
Educational technologies have had an important role in respiratory care. Distance learning via postal correspondence has been used extensively in respiratory care, and Internet-based distance learning is now used in the training of respiratory therapists (RTs), clinical continuing education, and in baccalaureate degree and higher programs for RTs and educators. ⋯ Educational technologies have an important role in respiratory care. Online distance learning for baccalaureate and higher degrees in respiratory care is promising. Online distance learning in respiratory care must include face-to-face instruction. Distance-learning deployment in respiratory care will require resources. A follow-up probabilistic survey of United States respiratory care managers is needed. Online surveys conducted for respiratory care are promising, but neither less expensive nor easier than conventional means.
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Comparative Study
A comparison of problem-based learning and traditional curricula in baccalaureate respiratory therapy education.
Problem-based learning (PBL) is a constructivist model of education that uses ill-structured, authentic problems to stimulate and organize all learning. The major goal of PBL is to help learners construct knowledge in contexts similar to the real-world environments in which the knowledge will be used. Although PBL is a widely accepted educational method, controversy persists about its effectiveness, how appropriately to measure its outcomes, and, more generally, whether grand education experiments can explain a curriculum intervention's effects. The present study was undertaken to compare PBL and traditional curricula in baccalaureate-level respiratory-therapy education, in terms of (1) graduate and employer ratings of cognitive, psychomotor, and affective competencies on standardized follow-up surveys mandated by the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care, and (2) scores on the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) examinations. ⋯ Respiratory-therapy graduates from the 2 PBL programs were more satisfied with their program's overall quality than were the graduates of the 2 traditional-curricula programs. Moreover, the PBL teaching and learning method did not place graduates at a disadvantage on standardized, objective tests of knowledge (the licensing and credentialing examinations). These findings are consistent with similar published studies on PBL approaches in medical and health care professional education.