Respiratory care
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Mechanical ventilation is a lifesaving intervention that may also induce further lung injury by exerting excessive mechanical forces on susceptible lung tissue, a phenomenon termed ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). The concept of mechanical power (MP) aims to unify in one single variable the contribution of the different ventilatory parameters that could induce VILI by measuring the energy transfer to the lung over time. ⋯ Currently, due to different limitations, the clinical application of MP is debatable. Further clinical studies are required to enhance our understanding of the relationship between MP and the development of VILI, as well as its potential impact on clinical outcomes.
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Review Meta Analysis
Risk of Fracture and Osteoporosis in Patients With COPD and Inhaled Corticosteroids Treatment.
There are disputes whether inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) increase the incidence of fracture or osteoporosis among patients with COPD. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the effect of ICS treatment on the risk of fracture and osteoporosis in subjects with COPD. ⋯ ICS use did not increase the incidence of fracture or osteoporosis in subjects with COPD.
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Mechanical ventilation is ubiquitous in critical care, and duration of ventilator liberation is variable and multifactorial. While ICU survival has increased over the last two decades, positive-pressure ventilation can cause harm to patients. Weaning and discontinuation of ventilatory support is the first step in ventilator liberation. ⋯ New tools such as diaphragmatic ultrasonography have begun to appear in the literature as a tool for outcome prediction. A number of systematic reviews with both meta-analysis and network meta-analysis that synthesize the literature on ventilator liberation have also been published in the last year. This review describes changes in performance, monitoring of spontaneous breathing trials, and evaluations of successful ventilator liberation.
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Despite its significant limitations, the PaO2 /FIO2 remains the standard tool to classify disease severity in ARDS. Treatment decisions and research enrollment have depended on this parameter for over 50 years. In addition, several variables have been studied over the past few decades, incorporating other physiologic considerations such as ventilation efficiency, lung mechanics, and right-ventricular performance. This review describes the strengths and limitations of all relevant parameters, with the goal of helping us better understand disease severity and possible future treatment targets.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Alleviation of Dyspnea and Changes in Physical Activity Level by Blowing Air to the Face with a Fan.
Dyspnea is an unpleasant subjective symptom and is associated with decreased physical activity level (PAL). Effect of blowing air toward the face has received a great deal of attention as a symptomatic therapy for dyspnea. However, little is known about the duration of its effect and its impact on PAL. Therefore, this study aimed to measure dyspnea severity and changes in dyspnea and PALs with air blasts to the face. ⋯ No significant difference was observed for dyspnea and PALs in subjects after blowing air toward their own faces with a small fan for 3 weeks at home. Disease variability and impact of protocol violations were high due to small number of cases. Further studies with a design focused on subject protocol adherence and measurement methods are required to understand impact of air flow on dyspnea and PAL.