Respiratory care
-
Multicenter Study Observational Study
Lower Driving Pressure and Neuromuscular Blocker Use Are Associated With Decreased Mortality in Patients With COVID-19 ARDS.
The impact of mechanical ventilation parameters and management on outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ARDS is unclear. ⋯ In subjects with COVID-19 ARDS receiving mechanical ventilation, ΔP during the first 4 d of mechanical ventilation was independently associated with mortality. The short-term use of NMB facilitated lung-protective ventilation and was independently associated with decreased mortality.
-
High-dose (≥ 80 ppm) inhaled nitric oxide (INO) has antimicrobial effects. We designed a trial to test the preventive effects of high-dose NO on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in health care providers working with patients with COVID-19. The study was interrupted prematurely due to the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines for health care professionals. We thereby present data on safety and feasibility of breathing 160 ppm NO using 2 different NO sources, namely pressurized nitrogen/NO cylinders (INO) and electric NO (eNO) generators. ⋯ This pilot study testing high-dose INO (160 ppm) for 15 min twice daily using eNO seems feasible and similarly safe when compared with INO.
-
Editorial Comment
Pandemic Surge, Well-Intended Responses, and Unintended Consequences.
-
Bronchoscopy is an aerosol-generating procedure and routine use for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been discouraged. The purpose of this review was to discuss the indications, clinical utility, and risks associated with bronchoscopy in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia. ⋯ Bronchoscopy in patients with COVID-19 results in a significant change in patient management. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 seems to be low with consistent use of appropriate personal protective equipment by health-care workers. Therefore, bronchoscopic evaluation should be considered for all diagnostic and therapeutic indications in this patient population.
-
Ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) requires repetitive transfer of energy from the ventilator to the compromised lung. To understand this phenomenon, 2 sets of equations have been developed to partition total inflation energy into harmless and hazardous components using an arbitrary level of alveolar pressure as a threshold beyond which further energy increments may become damaging. One set of equations uses premeasured resistance and compliance as inputs to predict the energy that would be delivered by typical ventilator settings, whereas the other equation set uses observed output values for end-inspiratory peak and plateau pressure of an already completed inflation. ⋯ This validation of threshold-partitioned energy equations suggests their potential utility for implementing practical strategies for VILI avoidance.