Resp Care
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Technological innovations in the ICU have led to artificially prolonged life, with an associated cost. Chronic critical illness (CCI) occurs in patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation and allostatic overload, and is associated with a discrete and consistent metabolic syndrome. ⋯ Ideally, IMS should be under the supervision of a metabolic support consultative team. Further research specifically focused on the CCI population is needed to validate this current approach.
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Neuromuscular complications of critical illness are common, and can be severe and persistent, with substantial impairment in physical function and long-term quality of life. While the etiology of ICU-acquired weakness (ICUAW) is multifactorial, both direct (ie, critical illness neuromyopathy) and indirect (ie, immobility/disuse atrophy) complications of critical illness contribute to it. ICUAW is often difficult to diagnose clinically during the acute phase of critical illness, due to the frequent use of deep sedation, encephalopathy, and delirium, which impair physical examination for patient strength. ⋯ However, a number of studies support the benefit of intensive rehabilitation in patients receiving chronic mechanical ventilation. Furthermore, emerging data demonstrate the safety, feasibility, and potential benefit of early mobility in critically ill patients, with the need for multicenter randomized trials to evaluate potential short- and long-term benefits of early mobility, including the potential to prevent the need for prolonged mechanical ventilation and/or the development of chronic critical illness, and other novel treatments on patients' muscle strength, physical function, quality of life, and resource utilization. Finally, the barriers, feasibility, and efficacy of early mobility in both medical and other ICUs (eg, surgical, neurological, pediatric), as well as in the chronic critically ill, have not been formally evaluated and require exploration in future clinical trials.
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Review
The growing role of noninvasive ventilation in patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation.
For many patients with chronic respiratory failure requiring ventilator support, noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is preferable to invasive support by tracheostomy. Currently available evidence does not support the use of nocturnal NIV in unselected patients with stable COPD. Several European studies have reported benefit for high intensity NIV, in which setting of inspiratory pressure and respiratory rate are selected to achieve normocapnia. ⋯ Pressure support ventilation, pressure controlled ventilation, and volume controlled ventilation have been used successfully for chronic applications of NIV. New modes have recently become available, but their benefits await evidence to support their widespread use. The success of NIV in a given patient population depends on selection of an appropriate patient, selection of an appropriate interface, selection of an appropriate ventilator and ventilator settings, the skills of the clinician, the motivation of the patient, and the support of the family.
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This paper reviews management strategies for patients undergoing prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV). Topics covered include how to identify and correct barriers to weaning, the systematic approach to weaning trials, when to cease weaning trials and proceed with life-long support, managing the tracheostomy tube during PMV, and, finally, how to select a suitable mechanical ventilator for PMV.
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The chronically critically ill (CCI) patient population is characterized by a prolonged need for high cost medical interventions, a high 1-year mortality rate, and a very high demand for post acute care services. The best characterized CCI patient population is patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV). This review will focus on the current knowledge of costs and care venues for the care of this patient population. ⋯ Given the dramatic comparative acute care cost burden of PMV patients, the societal implications for managing both the care burden and the costs of care are staggering. Strategies to improve the efficiency in healthcare for this patient population will be essential. Limitations to the existing care models in the United States will be identified with a focus on our current research deficiencies, which limit healthcare providers and administrators in providing patient focused care for this patient population.