Respiratory care
-
Infants and young children are obligate nose breathers; therefore, a transnasal route seems the logical delivery method of inhaled aerosols. The efficiency of aerosol delivery depends on several factors, such as interface, type of nebulizer, and patient age and breathing pattern. We hypothesized that the use of a vibrating mesh nebulizer, a tight-fitting face mask, and a head model and breathing pattern of an older child would result in a higher lung dose. We also hypothesized that the use of an anatomically correct model would more accurately reflect lung dose than models that do not include airways. ⋯ Careful pairing of the aerosol generator and interface is very important during transnasal aerosol delivery.
-
In this study, we examined the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration and successful weaning from mechanical ventilation in a cohort of ICU survivors requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Vitamin D deficiency is common in ICU survivors requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. Surprisingly, there was no significant relationship between 25(OH)D concentration and successful weaning. This finding may be due to the low 25(OH)D concentrations seen in our subjects. Given what is known about vitamin D and lung function and given the low vitamin D concentrations seen in patients requiring long-term ventilatory support, interventional studies assessing the effects of 25(OH)D supplementation in these patients are needed.
-
Practice Guideline
AARC Clinical Practice Guideline: Effectiveness of Pharmacologic Airway Clearance Therapies in Hospitalized Patients.
Aerosolized medications are used as airway clearance therapy to treat a variety of airway diseases. These guidelines were developed from a systematic review with the purpose of determining whether the use of these medications to promote airway clearance improves oxygenation and respiratory mechanics, reduces ventilator time and ICU stay, and/or resolves atelectasis/consolidation compared with usual care. Recombinant human dornase alfa should not be used in hospitalized adult and pediatric patients without cystic fibrosis. ⋯ Aerosolized agents to change mucus biophysical properties or promote airway clearance are not recommended for adult or pediatric patients with neuromuscular disease, respiratory muscle weakness, or impaired cough. Mucolytics are not recommended to treat atelectasis in postoperative adult or pediatric patients, and the routine administration of bronchodilators to postoperative patients is not recommended. There is no high-level evidence related to the use of bronchodilators, mucolytics, mucokinetics, and novel therapy to promote airway clearance in these populations.
-
Case Reports
Successful Colchicine Therapy in a Patient With Follicular Bronchiolitis Presumed to Be Asthma.
Follicular bronchiolitis (FB) is a rare small-airway pathology that is associated mainly with connective tissue diseases. This case report presents a new, diagnosed, different airway disease in a non-smoker with rheumatoid arthritis in remission who was treated for presumed asthma, but was not controlled. ⋯ The clinical findings of FB were controlled successfully by colchicine after she did not respond to systemic steroid therapy. This is the first case report of FB associated with rheumatoid arthritis that responded to colchicine.
-
The incidence of pneumothoraces with automated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is unknown. Herein, we present 4 cases of pneumothoraces occurring in the setting of automated mechanical CPR (AM-CPR) in a 2-month period since incorporating mechanical devices into our resuscitation program. Two of the cases were in-hospital cardiac arrests, whereas the other 2 were out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. ⋯ Two of the cases presented with obstructive lung disease, whereas the other 2 had underlying malignancy. Suboptimal positioning and failure to secure the included shoulder straps could have led to migration of the piston over the ribs. Further study is needed to determine the incidence of complications for all FDA-approved AM-CPR devices compared with manual chest compressions.