Oxygen Flow Rate and FiO2: Understand the Relationship!

Oxygen, we all need it! We do not need a lot of it under normal circumstances, with 0.21 being the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) of room air. FiO2 is defined as the concentration of oxygen that a person inhales. The... read more

Oxygen Flow Rate and FiO2: Understand the Relationship!

Noninvasive Ventilation in Hypercapnic COPD

Recently, Murphy and colleagues reported findings from a clinical trial designed to evaluate the effect of home noninvasive ventilation (NIV) with oxygen on time to readmission or death in patients with persistent hypercapnia... read more

Noninvasive Ventilation in Hypercapnic COPD

Inside the lives of America’s last iron lung patients

Long after the polio vaccine stemmed the disease that once infected thousands of people, a handful of U.S. polio survivors still rely on decades-old iron lung machines to stay alive-and must overcome increasing obstacles... read more

Inside the lives of America’s last iron lung patients

Clinical Review: Paracetamol in fever in critically ill patients

Paracetamol is a synthetic, nonopioid, centrally acting analgesic and antipyretic drug. Its antipyretic effect occurres because it inhibits cyclooxygenase-3 and the prostaglandin synthesis.... read more

Clinical Review: Paracetamol in fever in critically ill patients

Oxygen Therapy in Suspected Acute Myocardial Infarction

Routine use of supplemental oxygen in patients with suspected myocardial infarction who did not have hypoxemia was not found to reduce 1-year all-cause mortality. A total of 6629 patients were enrolled. The median duration... read more

Oxygen Therapy in Suspected Acute Myocardial Infarction

Avoiding Intubation

Review the basic principles and physiology of Non-Invasive Ventilation and High-Flow Oxygen Systems. Critical Care Summit talk by William Bender, MD, Assistant Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Emory University School... read more

Avoiding Intubation

Effect of Home Noninvasive Ventilation With Oxygen Therapy vs Oxygen Therapy Alone on Hospital Readmission or Death After an Acute COPD Exacerbation

In this randomized clinical trial of 116 patients, the addition of home noninvasive ventilation significantly prolonged time to readmission or death from 1.4 months to 4.3 months. Among patients with persistent hypercapnia... read more

Effect of Home Noninvasive Ventilation With Oxygen Therapy vs Oxygen Therapy Alone on Hospital Readmission or Death After an Acute COPD Exacerbation

Physiological Effects of Chronic Hypoxia

This review examines an array of physiological responses to low cellular oxygen tensions and discusses the effect of increasing oxygen tensions, through oxygen conditioning, on such responses.... read more

Physiological Effects of Chronic Hypoxia

BTS Guideline for oxygen use in healthcare and emergency settings

The updated guidance is based on new evidence about how effective prescribing and delivery of emergency oxygen for patients can both improve health and save lives. The 2015 emergency oxygen audit report provides information... read more

BTS Guideline for oxygen use in healthcare and emergency settings

A Breakthrough Oxygen Therapy May Be Able to Reverse Brain Damage

New research shows that low oxygen therapy is able to eliminate brain lesions developed from mitochondrial dysfunction in mice. Eventually, hypoxia therapy could be used to treat people with similar disorders and maybe even... read more

A Breakthrough Oxygen Therapy May Be Able to Reverse Brain Damage

Addition of vitamin B12 to exercise training improves cycle ergometer endurance in advanced COPD patients

Vitamin B12 is essential in the homocysteine, mitochondrial, muscle and hematopoietic metabolisms, and its effects on exercise tolerance and kinetics adjustments of oxygen consumption (V'O2p) in rest-to-exercise transition... read more

Addition of vitamin B12 to exercise training improves cycle ergometer endurance in advanced COPD patients

Assessing Postoperative Pulmonary Complications After Noncardiothoracic Surgery

In this multicenter study in 1202 American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 3 patients undergoing noncardiothoracic surgery requiring 2 hours or more of general anesthesia with mechanical ventilation, at least... read more

Assessing Postoperative Pulmonary Complications After Noncardiothoracic Surgery

Portable Imaging Device Assesses Tissue Oxygenation

A handheld, battery operated diagnostic imaging device measures oxygen saturation (O2Sat) and other measures in superficial tissues for patients with potential circulatory compromise. The HyperView is intended for use by... read more

Portable Imaging Device Assesses Tissue Oxygenation

Pre-Op Screen: What Does A Pulse Oximeter Tell Us?

Routinely utilized in ICUs, operating rooms, and telemetry floors, the pulse oximeter ("pulse ox") is perhaps the single greatest monitoring advancement in the modern medical era. It relies on the fact that oxyhemoglobin... read more

Pre-Op Screen: What Does A Pulse Oximeter Tell Us?

COPD and Life Expectancy

COPD is the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a term for many health conditions that affect a person's lungs on a chronic basis. The condition causes... read more

COPD and Life Expectancy

Airway Driving Pressure and Lung Stress in ARDS Patients

Since the first description of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the 1960s, numerous studies have sought the optimal tidal volume, positive end-expiratory pressure, plateau pressure, and inspired fraction of oxygen... read more

Airway Driving Pressure and Lung Stress in ARDS Patients

A closer step to artificial blood

Researchers have created an artificial red blood cell that effectively picks up oxygen in the lungs and delivers it to tissues throughout the body. This artificial blood can be freeze-dried, making it easier for combat medics... read more

A closer step to artificial blood

Apnoeic oxygenation via high-flow nasal cannula oxygen combined with non-invasive ventilation preoxygenation for intubation in hypoxaemic patients in the intensive care unit

A novel strategy for preoxygenation in hypoxaemic patients, adding HFNC for apnoeic oxygenation to NIV prior to orotracheal intubation, may be more effective in reducing the severity of oxygen desaturation than the reference... read more

Apnoeic oxygenation via high-flow nasal cannula oxygen combined with non-invasive ventilation preoxygenation for intubation in hypoxaemic patients in the intensive care unit

Limited predictability of maximal muscular pressure using the difference between peak airway pressure and positive end-expiratory pressure during proportional assist ventilation (PAV)

Deducing maximal muscular pressure from ΔP during PAV has limited accuracy. The extrapolated pressure time product from ΔP is usually less than the pressure time product calculated from oesophageal pressure tracing.... read more

Limited predictability of maximal muscular pressure using the difference between peak airway pressure and positive end-expiratory pressure during proportional assist ventilation (PAV)

Stem cell transplant in primates treats injured hearts

After undergoing a transient myocardial infarction (MI), primates injected with stem cells showed improved heart function.... read more

Stem cell transplant in primates treats injured hearts

Cricoid Pressure at Lower Forces Does Not Increase Oxygen Consumption

A pilot study has found that patients randomly assigned to cricoid pressure or sham treatment showed no difference in time to lowest peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2) or lowest SpO2 during anesthesia induction... read more

Cricoid Pressure at Lower Forces Does Not Increase Oxygen Consumption