Rationale: The most effective approach to teaching respiratory inhaler technique is unknown.Objectives: To evaluate the relative effects of two different educational strategies (teach-to-goal instruction vs. brief verbal instruction) in adults hospitalized with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Methods:We conducted a randomized clinical trial at two urban academic hospitals. Participants received teach-to-goal or brief instruction in the hospital and were followed for 90 days after discharge. Inhaler technique was assessed using standardized checklists; misuse was defined as 75% steps or less correct (<9 of 12 steps). The primary outcome was metered-dose inhaler misuse 30 days postdischarge. Secondary outcomes included Diskus technique; acute care events at 30 and 90 days; and associations with adherence, health literacy, site, and patient risk (near-fatal event).
Measurements and Main Results:Of 120 participants, 73% were female and 90% were African American. Before education, metered-dose inhaler misuse was similarly common in the teach-togoal and brief intervention groups (92% vs. 84%, respectively; P = 0.2). Metered-dose inhaler misuse was not significantly less common in the teach-to-goal group than in the brief instruction group at 30 days (54% vs. 70%, respectively; P = 0.11), but it was immediately after education (11% vs. 60%, respectively; P , 0.001) and at 90 days (48% vs. 76%, respectively; P = 0.003). Similar results were found with the Diskus device. Participants did not differ across education groups with regard to rescue metered-dose inhaler use or Diskus device adherence at 30 or 90 days. Acute care events were less common among teach-to-goal participants than brief intervention participants at 30 days (17% vs. 36%, respectively; P = 0.02), but not at 90 days (34% vs. 38%, respectively; P = 0.6). Participants with low health literacy receiving teach-to-goal instruction were less likely than brief instruction participants to report acute care events within 30 days (15% vs. 70%, respectively; P = 0.008). No differences existed by site or patient risk at 30 or 90 days (P . 0.05).
Conclusions:In adults hospitalized with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in-hospital teach-to-goal instruction in inhaler technique did not reduce inhaler misuse at 30 days, but it was associated with fewer acute care events within 30 days after discharge. Inpatient treatment-to-goal education may be an important first step toward improving self-management and health outcomes for hospitalized patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, especially among patients with lower levels of health literacy.Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01426581).
Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices are percutaneously or surgically implantable devices that support either the circulatory system, the pulmonary system, or both. Device technology has improved over time, resulting in more patients using MCS, particularly left ventricular assist devices (LVAD). 1 In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought MCS to the forefront due to the utilization of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to support patients in profound respiratory failure. 2 The increase in MCS patients has led to more patients requiring anesthesia for noncardiac surgery (NCS), which can be secondary to the pathology that required MCS in the first place, a complication of MCS, or an entirely separate pathology. 3 Thus, it is prudent for anesthesiologists to understand the basic principles of how these devices work to provide safe anesthetics. This article focuses on the general principles surrounding the preoperative evaluation of the MCS patient presenting for NCS, focusing on the most likely encountered devices in this scenario: the intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), ECMO, and the LVAD.
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