Respiratory care
-
Advances in the field of critical care medicine have helped improve the survival rate of these ill patients. Several studies have demonstrated the potential benefits of early mobilization as an important component of critical care rehabilitation. ⋯ Therefore, determining the appropriate modalities of implementation of early mobilization is a key imperative to leverage its potential in these patients. In this paper, we review the contemporary literature to summarize the strategies for early mobilization of critically ill patients, assess the implementation and validity based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, as well as discuss the safety aspects of early mobilization.
-
Awake prone positioning (PP) reduces need for intubation for patients with COVID-19 with acute respiratory failure. We investigated the hemodynamic effects of awake PP in non-ventilated subjects with COVID-19 acute respiratory failure. ⋯ CI and RV systolic function are improved by awake PP in non-ventilated subjects with COVID-19 with acute respiratory failure.
-
Analysis of observational data suggests that both a T-piece and zero pressure support ventilation (PSV) and zero PEEP impose work of breathing (WOB) during a spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) similar to what a patient experiences after extubation. The aim of our study was to compare the WOB imposed by the T-piece with zero PSV and zero PEEP. We also compared the difference in WOB when using zero PSV and zero PEEP on 3 different ventilators. ⋯ Work may be imposed or reduced during spontaneous breathing on zero PSV and zero PEEP when compared to T-piece. The unpredictable nature of how zero PSV and zero PEEP behaves on different ventilators makes it an imprecise SBT modality in the context of assessing extubation readiness.
-
Continuous aerosolized β2 agonist, namely albuterol, is the most commonly used therapy for critical asthma. Benzalkonium chloride is a preservative present in some formulations of aerosolized albuterol solutions that can induce bronchospasm. Recent studies have shown that inhalation of albuterol containing benzalkonium chloride might induce unintended bronchoconstriction and poor outcomes. This study aimed to investigate whether using albuterol solutions containing benzalkonium chloride results in prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS). ⋯ In contrast to published literature showing that benzalkonium chloride may be associated with a longer duration of continuous albuterol nebulization and hospital LOS, our study demonstrated that benzalkonium chloride-containing albuterol is safe for continuous nebulization in critically ill children and not associated with worse outcomes.