Respiratory care
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During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, a critical care outreach team was implemented in our hospital to guarantee multidisciplinary patient assessment at admission and prompt ICU support in medical wards. In this paper, we report the activity plan results and describe the baseline characteristics of the referred subjects. ⋯ In the context of a hospital and ICU surge, a multidisciplinary daily plan supported by a dedicated critical care outreach team was associated with a low rate of cardiac arrest calls, no emergency intubations in the ward, and appropriate palliative care support for subjects with a ceiling of care decision.
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Editorial Comment
Predicting Success of High-Flow Nasal Cannula in COVID-19.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of Local Anesthesia on Pain During Arterial Puncture: The GAEL Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.
Arterial puncture is often painful for patients. The aim of this study was to compare use of local anesthesia as a eutectic mixture of 2 local anesthetics, lidocaine and prilocaine, versus placebo. ⋯ We found that application of a eutectic mixture reduced the number of painful arterial punctures by 50% compared with placebo. However, this result was not statistically significant. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration NCT01964248.).
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Prolonged use of both electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and traditional cigarettes can increase breathing difficulties and other adverse health effects. Research is needed to provide a deeper understanding of predictors of dual use, particularly given rapid changes in the e-cigarette market and related public health communications and policy. ⋯ Prolonged dual use of both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes is a considerable public health problem. While our study identified a low percentage of dual usage among U.S. adults, dual use was disproportionately prevalent among those with depression, history of child maltreatment, living at or below the poverty line, and among Hispanic-American individuals. Culturally appropriate interventions and increasing access to cessation programs may help mitigate health disparities pertaining to dual use.