Resp Care
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The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by intense inflammation and alveolar-capillary disruption that can progress to a state of unresolving inflammation and disordered fibrosis, referred to as fibroproliferative, late-stage, or persistent ARDS. These pathophysiologic features may be responsive to corticosteroids, but early high-dose, short-duration therapy was proven ineffective. More recently, several small and one moderate-size multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigated low-to-moderate-dose prolonged corticosteroid treatment. ⋯ Importantly, the aforementioned studies have methodological limitations, and the number of subjects enrolled was small. Experts differ in their recommendations regarding corticosteroids for late-stage ARDS, although one consensus group supported a "weak" recommendation of low-to-moderate-dose corticosteroids for ARDS of < 14 days duration. If corticosteroids are administered, infection surveillance, avoidance of neuromuscular blockers, and gradual taper of corticosteroids are recommended.
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For many years the greatest barrier to the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was recognizing the disease. That obstacle is now fading as more physicians of all types are aware of the high prevalence of OSA and the consequences of untreated OSA. Sleep-laboratory polysomnography has long been considered the accepted standard for OSA diagnosis and has become a lucrative practice. ⋯ Over the last 2 decades many scientific studies have supported a strong correlation between the findings from home polysomnography and sleep-laboratory polysomnography. However, limited data are available from good outcomes-oriented studies, so controversy surrounds home polysomnography in the diagnosis of OSA. We review the evidence and debate whether sleep studies are appropriately done in the home.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Automatic tube compensation as an adjunct for weaning in patients with severe neuroparalytic snake envenomation requiring mechanical ventilation: a pilot randomized study.
This study aimed to evaluate if the combination of pressure-support ventilation (PSV) and automatic tube compensation (ATC) is superior to PSV alone in weaning patients with severe neurotoxic snake envenoming receiving mechanical ventilation. ⋯ The addition of ATC to a standard PSV-based weaning protocol significantly shortened time needed to wean patients with severe neurotoxic snake envenoming, without changing the duration of medical care, morbidity, or mortality.
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To determine whether outcomes (mortality and need for intensive care unit [ICU] readmission) of patients undergoing tracheostomy in the ICU can be predicted by common clinical or historical criteria. ⋯ These findings suggest that it is difficult to predict outcomes of patients who undergo tracheostomy in the ICU. Larger and prospective studies may help elucidate this matter.
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An aerosol of budesonide inhalation suspension is delivered when used with various jet-nebulizer/compressor combinations. The constant introduction of new nebulizer/compressor combinations raises the question of whether the performance of these match the performance of existing devices. The aim of this study was to determine in vitro the inhaled mass and aerosol characteristics of budesonide inhalation suspension from a selection of jet-nebulizer/compressor combinations presently marketed in the United States, Europe, and Japan. ⋯ The in vitro budesonide mass collected on the inhalation filter and delivery characteristics differed considerably between the 30 nebulizer/compressor combinations. The present in vitro characterization of jet nebulizers can be used as a guidance for selection of jet-nebulizer/compressor combinations for delivery of the budesonide nebulization suspension in the home-care setting. Further investigations of new nebulizer/compressor combinations are warranted.