Excessively deep states of sedation and a lack of analgesia during painful procedures must be prevented. To facilitate systematic pain and sedation assessment and to adjust daily drug dosages accordingly, it seems crucial to promote educational programs and elaboration of protocols/guidelines in the ICU.

When treated with invasive endotracheal mechanical ventilation (ETMV), acute respiratory insufficiency after lung resection is fatal in up to 80% of cases. Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) may reduce the need for ETMV, thereby improving survival. We conducted a randomized prospective trial to compare standard therapy with and without nasal-mask NPPV in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory insufficiency after lung resection. The primary outcome variable was the need for ETMV and the secondary outcome variables were in-hospital and 120-d mortality rates, duration of stay in the intensive care unit, and duration of in-hospital stay. Twelve of the 24 patients (50%) randomly assigned to the no-NPPV group required ETMV, versus only five of the 24 patients (20.8%) in the NPPV group (p = 0.035). Nine patients in the no-NPPV group died (37.5%), and three (12.5 %) patients in the NPPV group died (p = 0.045). The other secondary outcomes were similar in the two groups. NPPV is safe and effective in reducing the need for ETMV and improving survival after lung resection.

The SAPS II assessment of severity of illness in patients admitted to an intermediate care unit is reliable. These results will need to be confirmed, using different patient samplings from intermediate care units.

Use of our reporting method to create a CI database in a multicenter study including ICUs with varying recruitment patterns may help to identify markers suitable for routine continuous use as part of a quality-assurance program.

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