Isr Med Assoc J
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Since its introduction in Israel, more than 4,000 physicians from various specialties and diverse medical backgrounds have participated in the Advanced Trauma Life Support course. ⋯ Physicians younger than 45 years of age or with a surgical specialty are more likely to graduate the ATLS course. The success rate could be improved if the program's text and questionnaires were translated into Hebrew.
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Hypoxemia is a common complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a major factor in patients' prognosis and quality of life. The response to exercise has been evaluated by various means but no standardization has been accepted. ⋯ In patients with severe COPD, arterial hypoxemia during exercise can be assessed by simple 15 steps oximetry. This method can serve both as a marker for disease severity and to determine the need for oxygen supplementation.
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Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a well-recognized condition resulting in high permeability pulmonary edema associated with a high morbidity. ⋯ Local mortality outcome for ARDS is comparable to those in tertiary referral institutions in the United States and Western Europe. The PaO2/FIO2, A-aDO2 and ventilation index are valuable for predicting outcome in ARDS by the second day of conventional therapy. The development of a local risk profile may allow early application of innovative therapies in this population.