Resp Care
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A prospective randomized controlled trial on the efficacy of noninvasive ventilation in severe acute asthma.
Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is an emerging modality in the management of patients with acute respiratory failure. However, its role in severe acute asthma is not well defined. ⋯ In patients with severe acute asthma, the addition of NIV to standard medical therapy probably accelerates the improvement in lung function, decreases the inhaled bronchodilator requirement, and shortens the ICU and hospital stay, but a larger study is required to settle this issue.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparison between automatic tube compensation and continuous positive airway pressure during spontaneous breathing trials.
Various methods to perform spontaneous breathing trials (SBTs) exist, but no one method has been shown to be superior. Automatic tube compensation (ATC) is a new and potentially advantageous ventilation mode to use during SBT. We compared ATC to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) during SBTs, to determine their efficacy in identifying patients ready to be liberated from mechanical ventilation. ⋯ When applied as part of a respiratory-therapist-driven weaning protocol in a general intensive-care population, SBTs with ATC were safe but did not hasten liberation from mechanical ventilation, when compared to CPAP.