Respiratory care
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Heart Rate Variability in Extremely Preterm Infants Receiving Nasal CPAP and Non-Synchronized Noninvasive Ventilation Immediately After Extubation.
There is a paucity of studies comparing the physiological effects of nasal CPAP or non-synchronized noninvasive ventilation (ns-NIV) during the postextubation phase in preterm infants. Heart rate variability (HRV) can identify system instability before clinical or laboratory signs of deterioration. Thus, we sought to investigate any differences in HRV between those modes. ⋯ Nasal CPAP or ns-NIV provided immediately postextubation did not affect HRV. Interestingly, in an exploratory analysis, changes in HRV did occur during ns-NIV in the subgroup of infants who failed extubation. Hence, changes in HRV as early as 2 h after extubation should be further explored in larger studies as a potential predictor of postextubation respiratory failure.
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Changes to the reimbursement of respiratory care services over the past 26 years make it imperative that respiratory therapists (RTs) demonstrate cost savings to establish their value. Therefore, this systematic review evaluated the cost-related impacts from utilizing RTs to deliver care when compared to other care providers. ⋯ Although cost comparisons across studies could not be made due to the inconsistent manner in which data were reported, evidence demonstrated that care provided by RTs yielded both direct and indirect cost reductions, which were achieved through protocol utilization, specialized expertise, and autonomous decision making. The care provided was consistent with care provided by other disciplines. It is critical for the respiratory care profession to highlight key clinical practice areas for future research, to establish uniform reporting measures for outcomes, and to foster the development of future respiratory care researchers to affirm the value that respiratory therapists add to patient care.
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Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has been widely used to treat acute respiratory failure in obese patients. Criteria that could help clinicians to decide whether they should continue to use NIV after such an initial episode remain unclear. Our retrospective study aims to analyze characteristics of subjects receiving long-term NIV after an initial hospitalization for acute respiratory failure. ⋯ Subjects with the most severe obesity or who experienced the most difficult initial ventilation were more likely to receive long-term NIV after initial management of acute respiratory failure in the ICU. In those subjects, long-term NIV at home was effective and well tolerated.
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Editorial Comparative Study
Spontaneous Breathing Trials and Conservative Sedation Practices Reduce Mechanical Ventilation Duration in Subjects With ARDS.
Spontaneous breathing trials (SBTs) and daily sedation interruptions (DSIs) reduce both the duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU length of stay (LOS). The impact of these practices in patients with ARDS has not previously been reported. We examined whether implementation of SBT/DSI protocols reduce duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU LOS in a retrospective group of subjects with ARDS at a large, urban, level-1 trauma center. ⋯ Evidenced-based protocols governing weaning and sedation practices were associated with both reduced mechanical ventilation duration and ICU LOS in subjects with ARDS. However, higher respiratory system compliance in the SBT/DSI cohort also contributed to these improved outcomes.
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The pneumonia 30-d readmission rate has been endorsed by the National Quality Forum as a quality metric. Hospital readmissions can potentially be lowered by improving in-hospital care, transitions of care, and post-discharge disease management programs. The purpose of this study was to create an accurate prediction model for determining the risk of 30-d readmission at the point of discharge. ⋯ The proposed risk prediction model performed better than the CMS model. Accurate readmission risk prediction at the point of discharge is feasible and can potentially be used to focus post-acute care interventions in a high-risk group of patients.