Respiratory care
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There is developing evidence with regard to the feasibility, utility, and safety of verbal communication interventions with patients with tracheostomy who are invasively ventilated. In the past 2 decades, research efforts have focused on establishing evidence for communication interventions, including introducing an intentional leak into the ventilatory circuit such as with a fenestrated tube, leak speech or ventilator-adjusted leak speech, the use of a one-way valve in-line with the ventilator, and above cuff vocalization. ⋯ A multidisciplinary team approach enables holistic management across acuity, ventilation, airway, communication, and swallowing parameters. This collaborative approach is recommended to maximize the chance of successful opportunities for patients to communicate safely and effectively.
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Observational Study
Bleeding and Thrombotic Complications in COVID-19-Associated ARDS Requiring ECMO.
We analyzed bleeding and thrombotic complications in COVID-19-associated ARDS requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). ⋯ COVID-19-associated ARDS requiring ECMO presented high rates of severe bleeding complications and a protracted course. Further studies are needed to clarify the risks and benefits of ECMO in severe COVID-19-associated ARDS.
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Lung-protective ventilation (reduced tidal volume and limited plateau pressure) may lead to CO2 retention. Data about the impact of hypercapnia in patients with ARDS are scarce and conflicting. ⋯ Severe hypercapnia was associated with mortality in subjects with ARDS who received lung-protective ventilation. Our results deserve further evaluation of the strategies and treatments that aim to control CO2 retention.
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Low health literacy is a global challenge. Health literacy is positively correlated with chronic airways disease desirable outcomes. Despite the importance of health literacy in disease management, current health literacy measurement tools are suboptimal. As part of a multi-stage project to develop a performance-based, disease-specific Vancouver Airways Health Literacy Tool (VAHLT) for individuals with chronic airways disease, this study assessed the relationships between the VAHLT scores and characteristics of patients with chronic airways disease. The primary aim of the study was to provide preliminary evidence of construct validity of the VAHLT. ⋯ We report a chronic airways disease-specific health literacy measurement tool developed with the involvement of patients and professionals. Age and education were highly correlated with health literacy, which emphasizes the importance of addressing these factors in health literacy interventions among patients with chronic airways disease.
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An accurate SpO2 value is critical in order to optimally titrate oxygen delivery to patients and to follow oxygenation guidelines. Limited prospective data exist on real-world performance of pulse oximeters in critically ill patients. The objective of this study was to assess accuracy and bias of the SpO2 values measured by several oximeters in hospitalized subjects. ⋯ We found significant bias and moderate accuracy between the tested oximeters and the arterial blood gases in the studied population. These discrepancies may have important clinical impact on the detection of hypoxemia and management of oxygen therapy.