Tag: hypoxemia
Bougie vs. Endotracheal Tube with Stylet on Successful Intubation
Among critically ill adults undergoing tracheal intubation, use of a bougie did not significantly increase the incidence of successful intubation on the first attempt compared with use of an endotracheal tube with stylet. Among... read more
Feed Intolerance Reversal by Prokinetics Improves Survival in Critically Ill Cirrhosis Patients
Feed intolerance (FI) is common in critically-ill cirrhosis patients and non-resolution carries high mortality. Early recognition and treatment with prokinetics is recommended to improve short-term survival. Of the 1,030... read more
Improving Outcomes in Patients with Difficult Airways
Evidence indicates that the airway community has successfully conquered the anatomically difficult airway, as these patients are managed safely with a low incidence of morbidity and mortality. In contrast, the literature... read more
Prone Position in Mechanically Ventilated Patients
The use of prone position (PP) during invasive mechanical ventilation was first reported more than 45 years ago as a mean to improve oxygenation in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Improved oxygenation... read more
Lower vs. Higher Oxygenation Targets in ICU Patients with Severe Hypoxemia
Among adult ICU patients with severe hypoxemia, a lower oxygenation target (8 kPa) did not improve survival or HRQoL at 1 year as compared to a higher oxygenation target (12 kPa). We obtained 1‑year vital status for... read more
Arterial Carbon Dioxide and Acute Brain Injury in VA-ECMO
Acute brain injury (ABI) occurs frequently in patients receiving venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). We examined the association between peri-cannulation arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) and... read more
Critical COVID-19 Pneumonia Determinants
SARS-CoV-2 infection is benign in most individuals but, in approx. 10% of cases, it triggers hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia, which becomes critical in ˜3% of cases. The ensuing risk of death (˜1%) doubles every five years... read more
Treating Hypoxia in Discharged COVID-19 Patients
The ICU technique of placing a hypoxic patient in a prone position is being widely used to care for COVID-19 patients in respiratory distress to improve oxygenation and possibly to avoid intubation. The COVID-19 pandemic... read more
Oxygenation Responses Mechanisms to Proning and Recruitment in COVID-19 Pneumonia
In unresolving COVID-19 pneumonia, the respiratory mechanics and the gas-exchange response to prone positioning and recruitment largely depend on the following two factors: perfusion dysregulation and the amount of consolidated... read more
HIV and COVID-19 Increased Risk of Severe Outcomes
People living with HIV with detectable HIV viraemia, chronic comorbidities, and some subpopulations could be at increased risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. These groups should be prioritised in clinical management and... read more
ARDS vs. PseudoARDS – Failure of the Berlin Definition
True ARDS might be defined as a histological diagnosis involving diffuse alveolar damage throughout the lungs (characterized by hyaline membrane formation and thickening of the alveolar walls). PseudoARDS refers to patients... read more
Dexamethasone 12 mg vs. 6 mg for COVID-19 Patients with Severe Hypoxia
Among patients with COVID-19 and severe hypoxia, dexamethasone 12 mg did not result in statistically significantly more days alive without life support at 28 days than dexamethasone 6 mg. However, the confidence interval... read more
A Rational Approach on the use of ECMO in Severe Hypoxemia
Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a helpful intervention in patients with severe refractory hypoxemia either because mechanical ventilation cannot ensure adequate oxygenation or because lung protective... read more
Breath-holding as a Novel Approach to COVID-19 Risk Stratification
Despite considerable progress, it remains unclear why some patients admitted for COVID-19 develop adverse outcomes while others recover spontaneously. Clues may lie with the predisposition to hypoxemia or unexpected absence... read more