Respiratory care
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Controlled Clinical Trial
High-Flow Nasal Cannula Versus Standard Oxygen Therapy After Extubation in Liver Transplantation: A Matched Controlled Study.
High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is a key component of oxygen therapy and has largely been used in patients with acute respiratory failure. We conducted a matched controlled study with the aim to compare the preventive use of oxygen therapy delivered by HFNC versus via air-entrainment mask (standard O2) after extubation in adult subjects with liver transplantation for reducing postextubation hypoxemia. ⋯ Early application of HFNC in the subjects with liver transplantation did not reduce the incidence of hypoxemia after extubation compared with standard O2 and did not modify the incidence of weaning failure, ICU length of stay, and 28-d mortality in this high-risk population of subjects. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration NCT03441854.).
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Clinical Trial
Patient-Ventilator Interaction With Noninvasive Proportional Assist Ventilation in Subjects With COPD.
To investigate patient-ventilator interaction during different levels of noninvasive proportional assist ventilation (PAV) compared with noninvasive pressure support ventilation (PSV). ⋯ The expiratory cycle delay of noninvasive PAV was significantly longer than that of noninvasive PSV in the subjects with COPD with respiratory failure. During the levels of PAV, the lag time between neural respiratory drive and airway pressurization was significantly increased and the "runaway" phenomenon may be observed. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration NCT01782768.).
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The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in adult patients continues to increase. Suspicion of brain death while on ECMO creates a conundrum. The American Academy of Neurology states that apnea testing is a critical component of the process to declare brain death. However, there is a paucity of literature on apnea testing for confirmation of brain death in patients on venoarterial ECMO and venovenous ECMO. Traditional apnea testing does not consider ECMO physiology or de-recruitment of the lungs in this subset of critically ill patients. Complications with traditional apnea testing include hemodynamic instability that may lead to cardiac arrest and death. ⋯ In 5 subjects on ECMO, the carbogen method for apnea testing as part of the process to declare brain death was accurate in predicting the end point of the apnea test. With the increased use of ECMO in adults and the ongoing need for organs, methods to confirm brain death with apnea testing while on ECMO should be further studied.
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Respiratory therapists (RTs) should communicate with patients in a way that leads to patients understanding their discharge plans and medical device instructions. The teach-back method is a patient-centered, health-literate technique that allows health care professionals to confirm patient understanding. The purpose of this mixed-methods pilot study was to measure the use of teach-back by first-year undergraduate RT students in a simulation-center experience after a 1-h teach-back skills training. ⋯ Results from our pilot study indicate that RT students may benefit from a 1-h health literacy and teach-back skills training. Furthermore, we identified reasons why the teach-back method was not used and determined what communication training students perceived would be helpful. Our findings can be used to help improve and implement communication skills training in the RT curriculum.
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Editorial
COPD Care Bundle in Emergency Department Observation Unit Reduces Emergency Department Revisits.
COPD exacerbations lead to accelerated decline in lung function, poor quality of life, and increased mortality and cost. Emergency department (ED) observation units provide short-term care to reduce hospitalizations and cost. Strategies to improve outcomes in ED observation units following COPD exacerbations are needed. We sought to reduce 30-d ED revisits for COPD exacerbations managed in ED observation units through implementation of a COPD care bundle. The study setting was an 800-bed, academic, safety-net hospital with 700 annual ED encounters for COPD exacerbations. Among those discharged from ED observation unit, the 30-d all-cause ED revisit rate (ie, the outcome measure) was 49% (baseline period: August 2014 through September 2016). ⋯ Reliable adherence to a COPD care bundle reduced 30-d ED revisits among those treated in the ED observation unit.