Respiratory care
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Observational Study
REPRODUCIBILITY OF CADENCE FREE SIX-MINUTE STEP TEST IN SUBJECTS WITH COPD.
Six-minute step test (6MST) has been used to assess functional capacity in chronic conditions; however, its reproducibility in the COPD population has not been evaluated. Our study objective was to evaluate 6MST reproducibility. ⋯ 6MST proved to be reproducible in the COPD population when performed by the same assessor.
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Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a nosocomial infection of multifactorial etiology and has a negative influence on cardiovascular surgery (CVS) outcomes. ⋯ Oral hygiene and mouth rinses with chlorhexidine under supervision of a dentist proved effective in reducing the incidence of VAP.
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The semi-quantitative serum procalcitonin test (Brahms PCT-Q) is available conveniently in clinical practice. However, there are few data on the relationship between results for this semi-quantitative procalcitonin test and clinical outcomes of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We investigated the usefulness of this procalcitonin test for predicting the clinical outcomes of CAP in comparison with severity scoring systems and the blood urea nitrogen/serum albumin (B/A) ratio, which has been reported to be a simple but reliable prognostic indicator in our prior CAP study. ⋯ The semi-quantitative serum procalcitonin level on hospital admission was less predictive of mortality from CAP compared with the B/A ratio. However, the subjects with serum procalcitonin levels ≥ 10.0 ng/mL were more likely to require intensive care than those with lower levels.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
High-Flow Nasal Oxygen Cannula versus Conventional Oxygen Therapy After Endotracheal Extubation: A Randomized Cross Over Physiologic Study.
Compare the short-term benefit of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) with non-rebreathing mask in terms of change in dyspnea, physiologic variables, and patient comfort in subjects after endotracheal extubation. ⋯ HFNC can improve dyspnea and physiologic parameters, including breathing frequency and heart rate, in extubated subjects compared with conventional oxygen therapy. This device may have a potential role for use after endotracheal extubation.
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The 2-min walk test (2MWT) has been used in several health conditions, but the interpretation of its results is limited due to a lack of reference values. The aim of this study was to establish a reference equation to predict the distance walked (DW) in the 2MWT for healthy adults and the elderly and to test its reproducibility. ⋯ We established a prediction equation that may be used as a reference to interpret performance on the 2MWT of adults and the elderly with different health conditions.