Our training method allowed RTs to independently perform lung ultrasound after at least ten directly supervised scans. Given that RTs are likely to have less ultrasound knowledge and less clinical know-how compared to physicians, we believe that the same threshold number of scans may be also safely applied to the latter.
BackgroundLung ultrasound may be a reasonable alternative to chest radiography for the identification of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but the diagnostic performance of lung ultrasound for ARDS is uncertain. We therefore analyzed the clinical outcomes of ARDS diagnosed according to the Berlin Definition, using either chest radiography (Berlin-CXR) or lung ultrasound (Berlin-LUS) as an alternative imaging method.MethodsThis was a retrospective observational study in a 20-bed medical intensive care unit (ICU). Patients who required noninvasive ventilation or invasive ventilation for hypoxemic respiratory failure on ICU admission from August 2014 to March 2017 were included. Both chest radiography and lung ultrasound were performed routinely upon ICU admission. Comparisons were made using either the Berlin-CXR or Berlin-LUS definitions to diagnose ARDS with respect to the patient characteristics and clinical outcomes for each definition. ICU and hospital mortality were the main outcome measures for both definitions.ResultsThe first admissions of 456 distinct patients were analyzed. Compared with the 216 patients who met the Berlin-CXR definition (ICU mortality 19.4%, hospital mortality 36.1%), 229 patients who met the Berlin-LUS definition (ICU mortality 22.7%, hospital mortality 34.5%) and 79 patients who met the Berlin-LUS but not the Berlin-CXR definition (ICU mortality 21.5%, hospital mortality 29.1%) had similar outcomes. In contrast, the 295 patients who met either definition had higher mortality than the 161 patients who did not meet either definition (ICU mortality 20.0% versus 12.4%, P = 0.041; hospital mortality 34.2% versus 24.2%, P = 0.027). Compared with Berlin-CXR, Berlin-LUS had a positive predictive value of 0.66 (95% confidence interval 0.59–0.72) and a negative predictive value of 0.71 (0.65–0.77). Among the 216 Berlin-CXR ARDS patients, 150 patients (69.4%) also fulfilled Berlin-LUS definition.ConclusionsFor the identification of ARDS using the Berlin definition, both chest radiography and lung ultrasound were equally related to mortality. The Berlin definition using lung ultrasound helped identify patients at higher risk of death, even if these patients did not fulfill the conventional Berlin definition using chest radiography. However, the moderate overlap of patients when chest imaging modalities differed suggests that chest radiography and lung ultrasound should be complementary rather than used interchangeably.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13054-018-2105-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
A simple multidisciplinary extubation protocol is safe and associated with a significant reduction in the duration of mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit length of stay after elective cardiac surgery.
Background and Aims:The objective of the study was to determine the incidence of failed extubations in our Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and identify associated clinical factors.Materials and Methods:A prospective observational study of mechanically ventilated patients who underwent extubation attempts in our (predominantly surgical) ICU was undertaken from July 2012 to August 2013. The primary endpoint was the need for nonelective reintubation within 72 h of extubation. Clinical data of the reintubated patients were compared with those who were successfully extubated to identify factors associated with reintubation.Results:Five hundred and eight extubation attempts were documented, 38 (7.5%) of which were unsuccessful. On multivariate analysis, the following clinical factors were found to be associated with an increased risk of failed extubation: unplanned extubations (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 5.8), the use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) postextubation (adjusted OR 3.2), and sepsis (adjusted OR 2.9). Patient demographic factors, other premorbid and comorbid medical conditions, and differences of laboratory parameters did not appear to significantly influence reintubation rates in our study.Conclusions:Our study has demonstrated a relatively low reintubation rate, likely due to inclusion of elective admissions/intubations in our patient population. Unplanned extubations, the use of NIV postextubation, and sepsis were associated with increased reintubation risk, reinforcing the need for increased vigilance in this subgroup of patients after extubation.
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