Search Tag: mechanical ventilation
Precision Therapies for Heterogeneous ARDS Patients
2021 20 Jul
ARDS is a heterogeneous syndrome rather than a distinct disease. It is this heterogeneity that often makes it difficult to study treatments for patients with ARDS. Literature on ARDS is rife with clinical trials that do not show any mortality benefit. Recent evidence suggests different sub-phenotypes within the heterogeneous patient population.... Read more
Oxygen Therapy
2021 24 Jun
S upplemental oxygen is an essential component of intensive care and is a commonly used therapy worldwide. The primary goal of oxygen therapy is to prevent hypoxaemia. Since oxygen is usually widely available (except in special circumstances such as during the COVID-19 pandemic) and is relatively inexpensive, it is frequently used in patients with... Read more
COVID-19 vs Influenza: Comparative Study
2021 20 Mar
New research compares the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients against those of influenza patients to find if hospitalis ations, morbidity and mortality differ for two diseases. You might also like: WHO has launched a free online course dedicated to the rehabilitation of COVID-19 patients. Learn more... Read more
Early vs Late Tracheostomy and Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
2021 16 Mar
Surgically opening the windpipe, or trachea, within the first seven days of the start of mechanical ventilation decreases the time patients spend on ventilators, shortens their ICU stay and lowers their risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia, according to a new systematic review. "We analysed the existing medical literature to unravel a question... Read more
Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in COVID-19 Patients
2021 20 Jan
The coronavirus has a high incidence of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Many patients infected with COVID-19 need to be admitted to the ICU for invasive ventilation. They are also at a high risk of developing secondary, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). This is because of breach of natural defences by invasive devices,... Read more
Intensive Renal Replacement Therapy and Mechanical Ventilation Duration
2020 11 Oct
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a global health issue, accounting for approximately two million deaths per year as well as presenting a heavy economic burden on healthcare systems. Hospital-acquired AKI is associated with increased risk of death and prolonged length of hospital stay. There are no effective treatments beyond supportive care for patients... Read more
Risk Factors for ARDS in Mechanically Ventilated Adults
2019 16 Dec
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an inflammatory process that could lead to diffuse oedema and hypoxaemic respiratory failure. It is also characterised by increased pulmonary vascular permeability, increased lung weight, and loss of aerated lung. In low and middle-income countries, ARDS mortality ranges from 26 to 58%. A large majority... Read more
Virtual Reality in the Intensive Care Unit: State of Play and Future Prospects
2019 26 Sep
An overview of the practical uses of virtual reality in the ICU and the benefits it can provide. One way of defining virtual reality (VR) is as the set of techniques and systems required for human beings to enter computer-generated synthetic worlds. VR techniques are based on real-time interaction with an artificial immersive world using behavioural... Read more
When is mechanical ventilation harmful to the lung?
2018 07 Nov
Ventilator-induced lung injury is a multifaceted problem that has progressively become a preoccupation for intensivists and anaesthesiologists. Interestingly, it has taken many years to realise that mechanical ventilation, a life-saving technique, could also induce harm, according to an Editorial article published online in the journal Anesthesiology.... Read more
Vasopressors contribute to ICU-associated weakness
2018 13 Sep
In the ICU setting, nearly 25 percent of patients who receive mechanical ventilation develop muscular weakness severe enough to impair their quality of life. New research shows that mechanically ventilated patients treated with vasopressor medications had a more than three-fold increase in the odds of developing ICU-associated weakness. Notably,... Read more