Risk factors for prolonged ventilation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease presenting with acute respiratory failure

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 35-37).Patients with COPD presenting to the Emergency Unit with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure often require invasive mechanical ventilation and subsequent admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). These patients are at an increased risk of prolonged and complicated ventilation and often experience weaning difficulties. In addition, the impact of a previous episode of pulmonary tuberculosis that might have resulted in structural lung disease on the duration of mechanical ventilation in such patients has not previously been evaluated. Methods: All patients with COPD admitted to the Respiratory ICU at Tygerberg academic hospital from the 01st January 2004 until 31st December 2007 requiring intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation for acute hypercapnic respiratory failure were included in the study

A 12-week community-based physical activity and mindfulness intervention: health outcomes and markers of autonomic nervous system function (Sweet Hearts biokinetics pilot study)

The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has reached epidemic proportions in South Africa, coinciding with high levels of sedentary behaviour, urbanisation and stress. The nexus between stress, physical inactivity and non-communicable diseases may be regulated, in part, by changes in the autonomic nervous system (ANS). ANS function may be measured using a proxy of heart rate variability (HRV). Regular physical activity, controlled breathing and stress reduction have been shown to alter HRV. This paper presents preliminary data from a community-based biokinetics physical activity and mindfulness intervention (Sweet Hearts) on HRV. The study’s findings demonstrated favourable changes in measures of heart rate variability (HRV) – specifically in the low frequency (LF) spectrum that is associated with baroreflex function. The implications of these changes, in terms of health outcomes, along with efforts at addressing scalability and sustainability of community-based health promotion interventions may be important targets for future study

Remote Ischaemic Conditioning in STEMI Patients in Sub-Saharan AFRICA: Rationale and Study Design for the RIC-AFRICA Trial

10.1007/s10557-021-07283-yCardiovascular Drugs and Therap