Doppler Echocardiographic Indices in Critically Ill Patients Under Mechanical Ventilation

Doppler Echocardiographic Indices Are Specific But Not Sensitive to Predict Pulmonary Artery Occlusion Pressure in Critically Ill Patients Under Mechanical Ventilation. The objective of this study was to prospectively... read more

Weaning the patient: between protocols and physiology

Ventilator weaning forms an integral part in critical care medicine and strategies to shorten duration are rapidly evolving alongside our knowledge of the relevant physiological processes. The purpose of the current review... read more

Clinical characteristics of critically ill patients with COVID-19

In this study of critical patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 in a high-complexity hospital, the majority were comorbid elderly men, a large percentage required invasive mechanical ventilation, and ICU mortality was 25%. Design... read more

Development and assessment of the performance of a shared ventilatory system

Using standard clinical components, a system of shared ventilation consisting of two ventilatory limbs was assembled and connected to a single ventilator. Individual monitors for each circuit were developed using widely available... read more

What’s new about pulmonary hyperinflation in mechanically ventilated critical patients

Pulmonary hyperinflation is the increase in the relaxation volume of the respiratory system at the end of a tidal expiration (end-expiratory volume). This can occur due to a number of factors, acting alone or in combination,... read more

Mechanical Ventilators for Non-invasive Ventilation

This book analyzes and describes the whole spectrum of technical elements related with non-invasive mechanical ventilators technologies, ventilator modes and complementary technologies for correct interpretation and clinical... read more

Mechanical Ventilators for Non-invasive Ventilation

Airway closure, more harmful than atelectasis in intensive care?

Since the mid-1980s, atelectasis has been demonstrated during anesthesia in lung healthy subjects and in intensive care patients suffering from acute respiratory failure and requiring ventilator support. In the latter... read more

Epidemiology of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis Among COVID-19 Intubated Patients

We found a high incidence of CAPA among critically ill COVID-19 patients and that its occurrence seems to change the natural history of disease. A total of 108 patients were enrolled. Prospective, multicentre study... read more

Utility of RV Remodeling Over Risk Stratification in COVID-19

This study contributes to the growing body of literature illustrating the adverse prognostic implications of RV dilation and dysfunction in the setting of severe COVID-19. Mechanistic explanations for RV failure in this population... read more

Some Signs of Recovery From Severe COVID-19 Lung Damage

In two early studies, researchers said some patients showed signs of healing just weeks after leaving the hospital. Lingering shortness of breath and diminished stamina have dogged many COVID patients whose lungs were... read more

Outcomes of Patients Requiring Prolonged Acute vs. Short-Term Mechanical Ventilation

Over one-third of all hospitalized patients on mechanical ventilation require it for greater than or equal to 4 days. Prolonged acute mechanical ventilation patients exhibit a higher burden of both chronic and acute illness... read more

Monitoring of the Adult Patient on VA ECMO

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO), a form of mechanical circulatory support, had its origins in the operating room as cardiopulmonary bypass and has evolved for use in the intensive care unit and... read more

Efficacy and Safety of a Paired Sedation and Ventilator Weaning

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of a new RN/RRT (Registered Nurse/Registered Respiratory Therapist) directed 2-step protocol to wean patients off of a ventilator. This protocol involves daily attempts... read more

Early Arterial Embolization and Mortality in Mechanically Ventilated Patients With Hemoptysis

The objective of this study was to clarify whether early intervention by arterial embolization reduced mortality in mechanically ventilated patients with hemoptysis. The results show that early intervention by arterial... read more

Standardized Perioperative Feeding Protocol Improves Outcomes

An aggressive, but safe, perioperative feeding protocol implemented in a homogenous low-risk neonatal cardiac surgical population improves feeding outcomes, including increased weight gain, as well as decreased postoperative... read more

How Severe COVID-19 Infection is Changing ARDS Management

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided many intensivists (and some non-intensivists) several years' worth of severe ARDS management experience over the course of just a few months. While the challenges have, in places, been extreme,... read more

Outcomes of COVID-19 Patients Admitted to Australian ICUs During Early Pandemic Phase

During the early phase of the pandemic in Australia, patients admitted to ICU with COVID-19 had lower mortality and longer length of stay than reported from other regions. These findings reinforce the importance of ensuring... read more

Use and Outcomes of Nasotracheal Intubation Among Patients Requiring Mechanical Ventilation Across U.S. PICUs

Nasotracheal intubation is used in a minority of U.S. PICUs and mainly among young cardiac patients. Nasotracheal intubation is associated with a lower rate of unplanned extubations in this patient population. Future... read more

LV Overloading Identified by Critical Care Echocardiography is Key in Weaning‑induced Pulmonary Edema

Spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) failure due to WIPO appears related to overloaded LV, including the worsening or development of mitral regurgitation, associated with excessive accumulated fluid balance. SBT-induced central... read more

Steroids Confirmed to Help Severely Ill COVID-19 Patients

In patients hospitalized with COVID-19, the use of dexamethasone resulted in lower 28-day mortality among those who were receiving either invasive mechanical ventilation or oxygen alone at randomization but not among those... read more

Mechanical Ventilation: Physiology and Practice

Mechanical ventilation is an essential life-sustaining therapy for many critically-ill patients. As technology has evolved, clinicians have been presented with an increasing number of ventilator options as well as an ever-expanding... read more

Mechanical Ventilation: Physiology and Practice

Prone Positioning in Non-intubated Patients with COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic has put severe stress and strain on the capacity of hospitals around the world, concerted efforts have been made to evaluate therapeutics aimed at preventing the need for mechanical ventilation. The... read more