Respiratory care
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Current American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society guidelines recommend that patients hold their breath with minimum effort at total lung capacity during measurement of the single-breath diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) to avoid excessively positive or negative mouth pressures. We asked to what extent do these pressures range during single-breath DLCO testing and whether mouth pressures are associated with single-breath DLCO. ⋯ Mouth pressures varied widely during single-breath DLCO measurement but were not associated with the measurement of single-breath DLCO in the clinical setting of pulmonary function testing. Overall, these findings indicate that pulmonary function technologists need not discard efforts made during measurement of single-breath DLCO if only mild changes in mouth pressure occur.
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Editorial Comment
Nonpulmonary Organ Failure in ARDS: What Can We Modify?
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Editorial Comment
Spontaneous Breathing Trials in Children: Putting the 'T' in SBT.