Respiratory care
-
Review
Pharmacologic Agents That Promote Airway Clearance in Hospitalized Subjects: A Systematic Review.
Pharmacologic agents to promote mucus clearance may reduce the sequelae of obstructive secretions. We systematically reviewed comparative studies of pharmacologic agents for mucus clearance in hospitalized or postoperative subjects without cystic fibrosis and over 12 months of age. We searched MEDLINE and other databases from January 1970 to July 2014 to identify relevant literature. ⋯ Adverse effects of agents were not consistently reported. Nausea was reported in 2 studies of N-acetylcysteine (one paper reported 2 experiments and did not clearly identify in which experiment adverse effects occurred), 3 studies reported that there were no adverse events, and 3 studies did not address adverse effects at all. Further research with clearly characterized populations and interventions is needed to understand the potential benefits and adverse effects of mucoactive agents.
-
Hookah smoking has become increasingly common among young adults in the United States. College students engage in hookah smoking due to the increased exposure and popularity of hookah bars surrounding college campuses. There is limited information on parental perceptions of college students' hookah smoking. ⋯ Informing parents of current novel risky behaviors such as hookah smoking is necessary as they are trusted sources of information for young adult children. Delivering information and educational messages to both students and their parents may be a worthy approach when developing campaigns to deter hookah smoking. There is a need to deter hookah smoking, as it remains a public health concern.
-
Obesity has been associated with increased mortality in the general population, whereas a paradoxical relationship between higher body mass index and lower mortality has been referred to as the obesity paradox in critically ill patients. However, it remains unknown whether a particular subgroup is most affected. The aim of the present study is to elucidate whether obesity is associated with lower mortality in the ICU population by comparing subjects with and without mechanical ventilation. ⋯ This study shows that a high body mass index is associated with low mortality in the mechanically ventilated group, whereas the non-ventilated group showed a reverse J-shaped association. There was a higher mortality rate in underweight subjects in both groups.