Articles: respiratory-distress-syndrome.
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Critical care clinics · Jul 1996
ReviewHigh-inflation pressure and positive end-expiratory pressure. Injurious to the lung? Yes.
There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that high levels of inflation pressure and high levels of PEEP may be injurious to lung tissue and other organ systems. Limiting peak alveolar pressures below 35 cm H2O may help in avoiding these injuries. The findings have led to the development of a lung-protective strategy that is based on physiologic parameters. ⋯ Usually a PEEP of 8 to 12 cm H2O is sufficient. Although we usually initiate mechanical ventilation with a volume-cycled mode, we are not hesitant to switch rapidly to a pressure-limited mode if results are unsatisfactory. We believe that more attention to the potential harmful effects of pressure and volume on lung architecture may result in further improvement of survival in patients with acute respiratory failure.
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Critical care clinics · Jul 1996
ReviewHigh-inflation pressure and positive end-expiratory pressure. Injurious to the lung? No.
Survival rates in ARDS with conventional ventilation using high oxygen fractions and low PEEP levels have been reported to be less than 10%. In three prospective evaluations of ARDS in the 1980s, mortality rates remained greater than 60%. Early studies using high-level PEEP therapy in severe ARDS by Douglas, Downs, Kirby, and Civetta showed improved survival rates with ranges between 60% and 80%. ⋯ Currently available information indicates that increases in mean airway pressure (induced with PEEP or other modes of ventilatory support to restore losses in FRC that occur during ARDS) and limiting exposure to toxic concentrations of oxygen minimize ventilator-induced secondary lung injury and maximize chances for survival. Arbitrary limitations of peak inspiratory or end-expiratory airway pressure or mandatory tidal volume in patients with severe ARDS seem to be unfounded. Failure to achieve adequate physiologic end-points in these patients may increase morbidity and mortality rates.
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The authors describe, to their knowledge, the first management of acute airway obstruction in a newborn infant using Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). The infant had a primary diagnosis of gram negative sepsis complicated by pulmonary hemorrhage resulting in a left main stem bronchus obstruction. Despite full ventilatory support, the infant could not be adequately oxygenated. ⋯ Airway management also included vigorous physiotherapy, suctioning, and bronchoscopy. The infant was successfully weaned from ECMO after 208 hours. The authors suggest that ECMO could be useful to manage life threatening airway obstruction in the neonate.
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Comparative Study
The influence of the wider use of surfactant therapy on neonatal mortality among blacks and whites.
Surfactant therapy reduces morbidity and mortality among premature infants with the respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Fetal pulmonary surfactant matures more slowly in white than in black fetuses, and therefore RDS is more prevalent among whites than among blacks. We reasoned that the increased use of surfactant after its approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1990 might have reduced neonatal mortality more among whites than among blacks. ⋯ After surfactant therapy for RDS became generally available, neonatal mortality improved more for white than for black infants with very low birth weights.