Why Ventilators can be Tough on Preemie Lungs

Many premature infants need mechanical ventilation to breathe. However, prolonged ventilation can lead to problems like respiratory diseases or ventilation-induced injury.Jonas Naumann and Mareike Zink study the physics of mechanical stress from ventilation at Leipzig University, in Leipzig, Germany and discovered some of the mechanisms that explain why premature lungs are especially sensitive to stress.

AACN Practice Alert Offers Guidance on Manual Prone Positioning for Patients With ARDS

A newly released practice alert from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses aims to standardize how nurses care for patients undergoing prone positioning therapy for extended periods of time. It summarizes expected nursing practice to reduce the risk of complications related to manual prone positioning.

Diaphragm Pacing System pioneered at UH and CWRU receives FDA approval

Announcement that NeuRx ® Diaphragm Pacing System, pioneered by University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, received FDA premarket approval. The system helps spinal cord injured patients breathe without a mechanical ventilator. Co-inventor Raymond Onders, MD, has implanted the system more than anyone else, and he travels the world teaching other doctors how to do it.

Checklist Prompters Support ICU Rounds

New research from UPMC points to the potential for patient-specific checklists as a valid way to effectively translate the latest evidence into clinical practice. The study published in American Journal of Critical Care measured performance on the ABCDEF bundle during rounds.

COVID-19 Pulmonary, ARDS and Ventilator Resources Now Available in Spanish

A joint effort between the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development has made AACN’s free “COVID-19 Pulmonary, ARDS and Ventilator Resources” online course available in Spanish.

Recursos sobre COVID-19, SDRA y Ventilación Ahora disponible en español

Un esfuerzo conjunto entre la Asociación Americana de Enfermeras de Cuidados Críticos (AACN) y los proyectos financiados por la Agencia de los Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo Internacional (USAID) ha hecho posible que el curso en línea gratuito de la AACN “Recursos sobre COVID-19, SDRA y Ventilación” esté disponible en español.

Study Supports Early Anticoagulant Treatment to Reduce Death in Moderately Ill COVID-19 Patients

Findings from an international multicenter trials showed that while a full dose of heparin didn’t statistically significantly lower incidence of the primary composite of death, mechanical ventilation or ICU admission compared with low-dose heparin, therapeutic heparin did reduce the odds of all-cause death by 78 percent.

Fast-track Extubation Protocol Reduces Ventilation Time

High rates of variability in extubation times among cardiac surgery patients in Duke University Hospital’s cardiothoracic intensive care unit led to a new fast-track extubation protocol and redesigned care processes. As a result, more patients were extubated within six hours after being admitted to the ICU after surgery.

Protecting lungs from ventilator-induced injury

An unfortunate truth about using mechanical ventilation to save lives is that the pressure can cause further lung damage. Scientists are working to boost a natural cellular process in pursuit of a therapy that could lower the chances for lung damage in patients on ventilators.

.@UChicagoMedicine experts can discuss #Tocilizumab research; Drug may reduce need for ventilators in #COVID19 pneumonia

Roche made news today as research showed its drug (tocilizumab) reduced patients’ need for ventilators for those with COVID-19-associated pneumonia. A University of Chicago Medicine team has done separate, independent research on tocilizumab and found similar results in their own phase II trial.…