Journal of thoracic disease
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On October 27, 2015, Lemile and colleagues published an article in JAMA entitled "Effect of Noninvasive Ventilation vs. Oxygen Therapy on Mortality among Immunocompromised Patients with Acute Respiratory Failure: A Randomized Clinical Trial", which investigated the effects of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in 28-day mortality of 374 critically ill immunosuppressed patients. ⋯ The study power was limited, median oxygen flow used was higher than used before or 9 L/min, NIV settings provided tidal volumes higher than what is considered protective nowadays or from 7 to 10 mL/kg of ideal body weight and the hypoxemic respiratory failure was moderate to severe (median PaO2/FIO2 was around 140), a group prone to failure in noninvasive ventilatory support. Doubts arose regarding the early use of NIV in immunosuppressed critically ill patients with non-hypercapnic hypoxemic respiratory failure that need to be solved in the near future.
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The aim of this study was to review the early and mid-term outcomes of the total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) procedure and evaluate risk factors for prolonged pleural effusions. ⋯ Staged TCPC improved the early and mid-term survival of patients with a single ventricle. mPAP >15 mmHg was independently associated with prolonged pleural effusions and a fenestration significantly associated with a lower odds of effusion.