Estimation of dead space fraction can be simplified in the acute respiratory distress syndrome

Acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome are characterized by a non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema responsible for a significant impairment of gas exchange. The pulmonary dead space increase, which is due primarily to an alteration in pulmonary blood flow distribution, is largely responsible for carbon dioxide retention. Previous studies, computing the pulmonary dead space by measuring the expired carbon dioxide and the Enghoff equation, found that the dead space fraction was significantly higher in the non-survivors; it was even an independent risk of death. The computation of the dead space not by measuring the expired carbon dioxide but by applying a rearranged alveolar gas equation that takes into account only the weight, age, height, and temperature of the patient could lead to widespread clinical diffusion of this measurement at the bedside

Mucins and Asthma : Are We Headed to the Revolutionary Road?

Mucus represents the first line of defense of our respiratory tract and mucociliary clearance is essential for maintaining the homeostasis of airway epithelium. The latter mechanisms are altered in asthma and mucus plugging of proximal and distal airways is the main cause of death in cases of fatal asthma. Starting from the influential review performed by Luke R. Bonser and David J. Erle in 2017, we discuss the latest evidence in terms of mucins regulation and potential treatment of mucus hypersecretion and tissue remodeling in severe asthma

Bench-to-bedside review: Chest wall elastance in acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome patients

The importance of chest wall elastance in characterizing acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome patients and in setting mechanical ventilation is increasingly recognized. Nearly 30% of patients admitted to a general intensive care unit have an abnormal high intra-abdominal pressure (due to ascites, bowel edema, ileus), which leads to an increase in the chest wall elastance. At a given applied airway pressure, the pleural pressure increases according to (in the static condition) the equation: pleural pressure = airway pressure × (chest wall elastance/total respiratory system elastance). Consequently, for a given applied pressure, the increase in pleural pressure implies a decrease in transpulmonary pressure (airway pressure – pleural pressure), which is the distending force of the lung, implies a decrease of the strain and of ventilator-induced lung injury, implies the need to use a higher airway pressure during the recruitment maneuvers to reach a sufficient transpulmonary opening pressure, implies hemodynamic risk due to the reductions in venous return and heart size, and implies a possible increase of lung edema, partially due to the reduced edema clearance. It is always important in the most critically ill patients to assess the intra-abdominal pressure and the chest wall elastance

Recruitment maneuvers in acute respiratory distress syndrome and during general anesthesia

The use of low tidal volume ventilation and low to moderate positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels is a widespread strategy to ventilate patients with non-injured lungs during general anesthesia and in intensive care as well with mild to moderate acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Higher PEEP levels have been recommended in severe ARDS. Due to the presence of alveolar collapse, recruitment maneuvers (RMs) by causing a transient elevation in airway pressure (i.e. transpulmonary pressure) have been suggested to improve lung inflation in non-inflated and poorly-inflated lung regions. Various types of RMs such as sustained inflation at high pressure, intermittent sighs and stepwise increases of PEEP and/or airway plateau inspiratory pressure have been proposed. The use of RMs has been associated with mixed results in terms of physiological and clinical outcomes. The optimal method for RMs has not yet been identified. The use of RMs is not standardized and left to the individual physician based on his/her experience. Based on the same grounds, RMs have been proposed to improve lung aeration during general anesthesia. The aim of this review was to present the clinical evidence supporting the use of RMs in patients with ARDS and during general anesthesia and as well their potential biological effects in experimental models of acute lung injury

Pseudohypoparathyroidism, an often delayed diagnosis: a case series

Pseudohypoparathyroidism refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by parathyroid hormone (PTH) resistance. Pseudohypoparathyroidism is an uncommon sporadic or inherited genetic disorder subdivided into several distinct entities (type Ia, Ib, Ic, type II). We report cases of four children (aged 8 to 13 years) in the winter season 2007-'08. The present work highlights the variable mode of presentation of pseudohypoparathyroidism and the difficulty of an early diagnosis. We stress the importance of a complete biochemical investigation of the calcium-phosphate metabolism to recognize typical biochemical alterations associated with this condition (hypocalcaemia, hyperphosphataemia with increased phosphate tubular reabsorption and elevated PTH levels) in spite of a phenotypic aspect that often lacks the presence of all the peculiar clinical features of Albright hereditary osteodistrophy

The conditioning of medical gases with hot water humidifiers

During invasive mechanical ventilation due to the dryness of medical gases is necessary to provide an adequate level of conditioning. The hot water humidifiers (HWH) heat the water, thus allowing the water vapor to heat and humidify the medical gases. In the common HWH there is a contact between the medical gases and the sterile water, thus increasing the risk of patient’s colonization and infection. Recently to avoid the condensation in the inspiratory limb of the ventilator circuit, new heated ventilator circuits have been developed. In this in vitro study we evaluated the efficiency (absolute/relative humidity) of three HWH: (1) a common HWH without a heated ventilator circuit (MR 730, Fisher&Paykel, New Zeland), (2) the same HWH with a heated ventilator circuit (Mallinckrodt Dar, Italy) and (3) a new HWH (DAR HC 2000, Mallinkckrodt Dar, Italy) with a heated ventilator circuit in which the water vapor reaches the medical gases through a gorotex membrane, avoiding any direct contact between the water and gases. At a temperature of 35°C and 37°C the HWH and heated tube were evaluated. The absolute humidity (AH) and relative humidity (RH) were measured by a psychometric method. The minute ventilation, tidal volume respiratory rate and oxygen fraction were: 5.8 ± 0.1 l/min, 740 ± 258 ml, 7.5 ± 2.6 bpm and 100%, respectively. Ventilator P2 Use of a bougie during percutaneous tracheostom

Helmet CPAP to Treat Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure in Patients with COVID-19 : a Management Strategy Proposal

Since the beginning of March 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused more than 13,000 deaths in Europe, almost 54% of which has occurred in Italy. The Italian healthcare system is experiencing a stressful burden, especially in terms of intensive care assistance. In fact, the main clinical manifestation of COVID-19 patients is represented by an acute hypoxic respiratory failure secondary to bilateral pulmonary infiltrates, that in many cases, results in an acute respiratory distress syndrome and requires an invasive ventilator support. A precocious respiratory support with non-invasive ventilation or high flow oxygen should be avoided to limit the droplets' air-dispersion and the healthcare workers' contamination. The application of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) by means of a helmet can represent an effective alternative to recruit diseased alveolar units and improve hypoxemia. It can also limit the room contamination, improve comfort for the patients, and allow for better clinical assistance with long-term tolerability. However, the initiation of a CPAP is not free from pitfalls. It requires a careful titration and monitoring to avoid a delayed intubation. Here, we discuss the rationale and some important considerations about timing, criteria, and monitoring requirements for patients with COVID-19 respiratory failure requiring a CPAP treatment