Respiratory care
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Review Meta Analysis
Effect of Prone Positioning on Clinical Outcomes of Non-Intubated Subjects with COVID-19: A Comparative Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Awake prone positioning (APP) has been recently proposed as an adjunctive treatment for non-intubated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients requiring oxygen therapy to improve oxygenation and reduce the risk of intubation. However, the magnitude of the effect of APP on clinical outcomes in these patients remains uncertain. We performed a comparative systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of APP to improve the clinical outcomes in non-intubated subjects with COVID-19. ⋯ APP has the potential to reduce the in-hospital mortality rate in COVID-19 subjects with hypoxemia without a significant effect on the need for intubation or length of hospital stay. However, there was a significant decrease in the need for intubation on subgroup analysis of RCTs. More large-scale trials with a standardized protocol for prone positioning are needed to better evaluate its effectiveness in this select population.
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Acute respiratory failure with inadequate oxygenation and/or ventilation is a common reason for ICU admission in children and adults. Despite the morbidity and mortality associated with acute respiratory failure, few proven treatment options exist beyond invasive ventilation. Attempts to develop intravascular respiratory assist catheters capable of providing clinically important gas exchange have had limited success. ⋯ Overcoming the technical challenges associated with providing safe and effective gas exchange within the confines of the intravascular space remains a daunting task for physicians and engineers. It requires a detailed understanding of the fundamentals of gas transport and respiratory physiology to optimize the design for a successful device. This article reviews the potential benefits of such respiratory assist catheters, considerations for device design, previous attempts at intravascular gas exchange, and the motivation for continued development efforts.