Respiratory care
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Pulse oximetry is arguably the most impactful monitor ever introduced into respiratory care practice. Recently there has been increased attention to the problem of occult hypoxemia in which patients are hypoxemic despite an acceptable SpO2 Although occult hypoxemia might be greater in Black patients than white patients, it is not insignificant in whites. In a given population of patients, the bias between SpO2 and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2 ) might be close to zero. ⋯ Manufactures report accuracy of SpO2 derived from normal individuals, which might differ from that in the clinical setting. That SpO2 overestimates SaO2 in an important number of individuals has caused some to recommend higher SpO2 targets to avoid occult hypoxemia. There is also evidence that suggests that SpO2 might not accurately trend SaO2 Additional research is needed to investigate strategies to mitigate the bias between SpO2 and SaO2 Clinicians must be cognizant of the limitations of pulse oximetry when clinically using SpO2 The aim of this paper is to provide an update on pulse oximetry.
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Tracheostomized children have higher mortality compared to adults due to smaller airway anatomy and greater medical complexity and are at high risk for life-threatening complications. Following new tracheostomy placement, caregivers are required to successfully complete extensive training before discharge home. Training for tracheostomy emergencies such as tube obstruction and accidental decannulation is challenging without real-life, hands-on experience, but simulation training has shown promising effects on improving caregiver knowledge and comfort in preparing for emergency situations. ⋯ However, guidelines for standardized management of tracheostomy-related respiratory illness are not available. Although standardized decannulation protocols are utilized, evidence-based guidelines are lacking, and the role of routine polysomnogram prior to decannulation is unresolved. Several knowledge gaps in management of pediatric tracheostomy present the opportunity for future research to improve patient outcomes.
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Practice Guideline
AARC Clinical Practice Guideline: Patient-Ventilator Assessment.
Given the important role of patient-ventilator assessments in ensuring the safety and efficacy of mechanical ventilation, a team of respiratory therapists and a librarian used Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology to make the following recommendations: (1) We recommend assessment of plateau pressure to ensure lung-protective ventilator settings (strong recommendation, high certainty); (2) We recommend an assessment of tidal volume (VT) to ensure lung-protective ventilation (4-8 mL/kg/predicted body weight) (strong recommendation, high certainty); (3) We recommend documenting VT as mL/kg predicted body weight (strong recommendation, high certainty); (4) We recommend an assessment of PEEP and auto-PEEP (strong recommendation, high certainty); (5) We suggest assessing driving pressure to prevent ventilator-induced injury (conditional recommendation, low certainty); (6) We suggest assessing FIO2 to ensure normoxemia (conditional recommendation, very low certainty); (7) We suggest telemonitoring to supplement direct bedside assessment in settings with limited resources (conditional recommendation, low certainty); (8) We suggest direct bedside assessment rather than telemonitoring when resources are adequate (conditional recommendation, low certainty); (9) We suggest assessing adequate humidification for patients receiving noninvasive ventilation (NIV) and invasive mechanical ventilation (conditional recommendation, very low certainty); (10) We suggest assessing the appropriateness of the humidification device during NIV and invasive mechanical ventilation (conditional recommendation, low certainty); (11) We recommend that the skin surrounding artificial airways and NIV interfaces be assessed (strong recommendation, high certainty); (12) We suggest assessing the dressing used for tracheostomy tubes and NIV interfaces (conditional recommendation, low certainty); (13) We recommend assessing the pressure inside the cuff of artificial airways using a manometer (strong recommendation, high certainty); (14) We recommend that continuous cuff pressure assessment should not be implemented to decrease the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (strong recommendation, high certainty); and (15) We suggest assessing the proper placement and securement of artificial airways (conditional recommendation, very low certainty).
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Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is a widely used and well-established treatment modality for respiratory failure. In patients with increased respiratory work of breathing, accessory muscles are commonly activated along with the diaphragm. Whereas diaphragm ultrasound has been utilized to assess outcomes of mechanical ventilation, the data on intercostal muscle ultrasound remain limited. We aimed to investigate the association between intercostal muscle thickening fraction (TF) and NIV failure in critical care patients with hypercapnic respiratory failure. ⋯ There was a positive relation between intercostal muscle TF measured by ultrasound and NIV failure, even after adjusting for APACHE II and SOFA scores.
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Inhaler education for patients with asthma and patients with COPD is typically provided by non-pulmonologists. We studied inhaler education by pulmonologists to determine changes in clinical outcomes and inhaler use. ⋯ Pulmonologist education of inhaler technique for patients with asthma and patients with COPD was associated with decreased relative risk for inhaler/dosage increase and increased odds for symptom control. We recommend pulmonologists provide education of inhaler technique to patients with asthma and patients with COPD and not rely on non-pulmonologist education alone. Prospective research is needed to confirm the importance of proper inhaler techniques.