Respiratory care
-
Mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MI-E) devices increase expiratory air flow and thereby promote increased cough peak flow (CPF) in conjunction with a cough. There is little research looking at long-term use of MI-E in subjects with neuromuscular disease (NMD), and no long-term study has reported CPF, MI-E device settings, and adherence. ⋯ Greater exsufflation pressures than insufflation pressures, together with a shorter insufflation time than exsufflation time, were used. Predicting good adherence among the subjects was difficult. Subjects who produced daily secretions were more likely to use MI-E every day.
-
Early mobilization is part of the rehabilitation process for critically ill patients and is currently considered a means of preventing ICU-acquired muscle deterioration and worsening of physical function. We sought to determine whether the use of speaking valves in tracheostomized patients would improve their mobility. We evaluated the changes in mobility performance with the use of speaking valves in tracheostomized subjects. ⋯ The use of speaking valves in tracheostomized subjects improved mobility.
-
FEV1 as a Standalone Spirometric Predictor and the Attributable Fraction for Death in Older Persons.
Commonly used thresholds for staging FEV1 have not been evaluated as standalone spirometric predictors of death in older persons. Specifically, the proportion of deaths attributed to a reduced FEV1, when staged by commonly used thresholds in L, percent of predicted (% pred), and Z scores, has not been previously reported. ⋯ In older persons, the proportion of deaths attributed to a reduced FEV1 is best stratified by Z score staging thresholds because these yield a similar relative risk of death but a more age- and sex-appropriate prevalence of FEV1 stage.
-
The inherent stride-to-stride fluctuations during walking are altered in the aging population and could provide insight into gait impairments and falls in patients with COPD. Stride-to-stride fluctuations are quantified two ways: variability of the fluctuations (eg, standard deviation), and movement patterns within the fluctuations. Our objective was to investigate stride-to-stride fluctuations by evaluating the variability and movement patterns of lower limb joints in subjects with COPD compared to subjects without COPD as control subjects. ⋯ Although subjects with COPD did not demonstrate decreased amount of variability, their hip and knee joint movement patterns were less consistent in organization during walking. Reduced consistency in organization of movement patterns may be a contributing factor to falls and mobility problems experienced by patients with COPD.
-
The incidence of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is relatively high in elderly subjects. Cough peak flow (CPF) is an objective indicator of cough strength, and CPF evaluation might be useful to assess whether food intake can be restarted. We aimed to examine whether cough strength assessed with CPF can be used as an indicator of the aspiration risk when restarting food intake in elderly subjects with CAP. ⋯ Our findings suggest that cough strength assessed with CPF can be used as an indicator of the aspiration risk when restarting food intake in elderly subjects with CAP and that CPF evaluation is not inferior to the RSST. However, CPF evaluation should be performed together with swallowing screening tests to determine the aspiration risk.