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This review will provide a guide to ventilator management to aid the ED physician. Pulmonary physiology and adverse effects of artificial ventilation on the pulmonary system will be discussed. Assist control ventilation is the most common mode of ventilation and should be used initially for patients in the ED. Pitfalls of therapy and troubleshooting the ventilator will be reviewed, recognizing that the respiratory therapist is a valuable reference and capable of handling the majority of mechanical ventilation issues. Finally, difficult cases will arise requiring early consultation with a critical care specialist to provide optimal ventilation while avoiding complications.
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Patients who had both diabetes and sleep apnea had improved HbA1c and postprandial glucose when they used Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) for more than 4 hours a night.
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Breast cancer in young women is uncommon, but when it does occur, it is thought to be very aggressive. In this large series of young (< 35 years old) patients from a single institution seen over a 13-year period, high tumor grade, hormone receptor negativity, and family history of ovarian cancer turned out to be significant negative prognostic indicators.
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The FDA has approved a new long-acting insulin analog produced by DNA technology.
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Chocolate enthusiasts, take heart! Evidence that dark chocolate benefits more than just the palate is presented in this study from Greece.
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Seven pieces of information can identify those patients most likely to successfully rehabilitate back pain.
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When the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study was stopped, 9351 postmenopausal women stopped taking combined estrogen and progestin or placebo. The WHI investigators followed up on these women with a survey at 8 to 12 months after stopping the pills. More that half of the women taking the hormones developed vasomotor symptoms and, in about 21%, these symptoms were moderate to severe.
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When closest family members of critically ill patients were interviewed 90 days later, significant post-traumatic stress symptoms were present in one-third of them. Risks for PTSD were more prevalent if the patient had died in the ICU, especially after end-of-life decision-making in which the family member participated.
