Respiratory care
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Observational Study
Using a Post-Intubation Checklist and Time Out to Expedite Mechanical Ventilation Monitoring: Observational Study of a Quality Improvement Intervention.
Delayed mechanical ventilation monitoring may impede recognition of life-threatening acidemia. Coordination of multidisciplinary processes can be improved by using a checklist and time-out procedure. The study objective was to evaluate process-related outcomes after implementation of a post-intubation checklist and time out. ⋯ A post-intubation checklist and time out improved the timeliness of mechanical ventilation monitoring through more rapid assessment of arterial blood gases. Implementing this peri-intubation procedure may reduce the risks associated with transitioning to full mechanical ventilatory support. Optimal implementation necessitates strategies to surmount organizational and behavioral barriers to change.
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Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a modified form of cardiopulmonary bypass. Although early trials were plagued by severe bleeding and high rates of death, subsequent experience with neonates found good survival, and ECMO became an important tool in the care of critically ill infants with respiratory failure. Since the 1980s, expansion to other groups (children, patients with cardiac disease, etc) followed as experience was obtained. ⋯ Changes in ventilator support while on ECMO, even to the point of extubation, are also occurring. This article will review briefly some of the literature related to criteria for severity of illness before ECMO and related to ECMO care and practice. Issues relating to the use of ECMO as a resuscitative tool in cardiac arrest as well as the controversial topic of volume and outcome will also be presented.
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Led by the work of the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference, much was published on the topic of pediatric ARDS in 2015. Although the availability of definitive data to the pediatric practitioner for the management of infants and children with pediatric ARDS continues to lag behind that for the adult clinician, 2015 augmented the available medical literature with more information than had been seen for years. This article will review key pediatric ARDS publications with a focus on the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference consensus definition, sedation management, use of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, diagnosis of delirium, noninvasive respiratory support, lung-protective ventilation, and adjunct management therapies. Despite the recent progress, additional investigation in each of these areas is essential to the continued advancement of our knowledge and, more importantly, improvements in the outcome for pediatric patients with ARDS.
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Acute organophosphorus pesticide poisoning (AOPP) is becoming a significant problem and a potential cause of human mortality because of the abuse of organophosphate compounds. This study aims to determine the independent prognostic factors of AOPP by using multivariate logistic regression analysis. ⋯ High 6-h post-admission blood lactate levels, low blood pH, and low post-admission 6-h lactate clearance rates were independent prognostic factors identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis.