The open respiratory medicine journal
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Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation (PMV) is associated with a higher cost of care and increased morbidity and mortality. Patients requiring PMV are referred mostly to Long-Term Acute Care (LTAC) facilities. ⋯ Protocol-driven liberation from mechanical ventilation in LTAC by RT can significantly decrease the duration of a mechanical ventilator, leading to decreased mortality and cost savings.
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Pneumonia is a major reason for hospitalization for Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients (AECOPD). There is limited data available on the outcomes of AECOPD patients with or without pneumonia. Therefore, the study investigates the prognosis of AECOPD patients with or without Community-acquired Pneumonia (CAP), concerning the Length of Hospital Stay (LOS), in-hospital complications and early readmission. ⋯ COPD patients with CAP had longer LOS and more short term complications as ICU admission, mechanical ventilation and higher readmission rate in comparison to COPD patients without CAP.
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Weaning from mechanical ventilation is a key element in the care of critically ill patients, and Spontaneous Breathing Trial (SBT) is a crucial step in this procedure. This nested case-control study aimed to evaluate whether central oxygen saturation (ScvO2) values and their changes could independently predict the SBT outcome among mechanically ventilated patients. ⋯ ScvO2 is an independent predictor of the weaning outcome and its evaluation may further facilitate the accurate categorization among those patients who pass or fail the SBT.
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Restrictive spirometric pattern is a risk factor for all-cause and cause-specific mortality. ⋯ These results enhance the needs to increase the efforts to prevent and control tuberculosis, cardiovascular diseases and underweight in this setting.
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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common, serious, under-recognized and under-diagnosed medical disorder. Polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard diagnostic test for OSA; however, the cost of testing and the shortage of sleep disorders laboratories limit access to this tool. Therefore, there is a need for a simple and reliable diagnostic tool to screen patients at risk of OSA. ⋯ The Arabic version of the SBQ is an easy-to-administer, simple, reliable and valid tool for the identification of OSA in the sleep disorders clinic setting.