Resp Care
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Nutrition may affect clinical outcomes in critically ill patients, and providing either more or fewer calories than the patient needs can adversely affect outcomes. Calorie need fluctuates substantially over the course of critical illness, and nutrition delivery is often influenced by: the risk of refeeding syndrome; a hypocaloric feeding regimen; lack of feeding access; intolerance of feeding; and feeding-delay for procedures. Lean body mass is the strongest determinant of resting energy expenditure, but age, sex, medications, and metabolic stress also influence the calorie requirement. ⋯ We reviewed 7 equations (American College of Chest Physicians, Harris-Benedict, Ireton-Jones 1992 and 1997, Penn State 1998 and 2003, Swinamer 1990) and their prediction accuracy. Understanding an equation's reference population and using the equation with similar patients are essential for the equation to perform similarly. Prediction accuracy among equations is rarely within 10% of the measured energy expenditure; however, in the absence of indirect calorimetry, a prediction equation is the best alternative.
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Practice Guideline
Cystic fibrosis pulmonary guidelines: airway clearance therapies.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease characterized by dehydration of airway surface liquid and impaired mucociliary clearance. As a result, there is difficulty clearing pathogens from the lung, and patients experience chronic pulmonary infections and inflammation. Clearance of airway secretions has been a primary therapy for those with CF, and a variety of airway clearance therapies (ACTs) have been developed. ⋯ The committee recommends airway clearance be performed on a regular basis in all patients. There are no ACTs demonstrated to be superior to others, so the prescription of ACTs should be individualized. Aerobic exercise is recommended as an adjunctive therapy for airway clearance and for its additional benefits to overall health.
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Comparative Study
Detection of upper airway obstruction with spirometry results and the flow-volume loop: a comparison of quantitative and visual inspection criteria.
There are important gaps in our understanding of the epidemiology and diagnosis of upper-airway obstruction. ⋯ The prevalence of reported upper-airway obstruction was 7.5%. The quantitative criteria showed low sensitivity for detecting upper-airway obstruction but exceeded that of visual criteria. The aggregate criterion increased the sensitivity to 69.4%, which suggests the need for additional criteria to help predict upper-airway obstruction.
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The 2005 American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society guidelines on spirometry emphasize examination of the inspiratory curve of the flow-volume loop for evidence of intrathoracic or extrathoracic upper airway obstruction. We sought to determine how frequently evaluations are performed for abnormal inspiratory curves. ⋯ An abnormal inspiratory curve in the presence of otherwise normal spirometry should prompt an evaluation for the etiology. If one of the flow-volume inspiratory curves shows an abnormality, all the inspiratory curves from that PFT session should be reviewed, and if more than one inspiratory curves is abnormal, both anatomical and functional evaluation should be undertaken for intrathoracic and extrathoracic upper airway obstruction.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of measured versus predicted energy requirements in critically ill cancer patients.
Accurate determination of caloric requirements is essential to avoid feeding-associated complications in critically ill patients. ⋯ Underfeeding and overfeeding were common in our critically ill cancer patients when resting energy expenditure was estimated rather than measured. Indirect calorimetry is the method of choice for determining caloric need in critically ill cancer patients, but if indirect calorimetry is not available or feasible, the Harris-Benedict equation without added stress and activity factors is more accurate than the clinically estimated resting energy expenditure.