It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I introduce this Special Issue of the Journal of Clinical Medicine, entitled “Non-invasive Respiratory Support: How to Get It Right in Clinical Medicine” ......
The World Health Organization has recently defined the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection a pandemic. The infection, that may cause a potentially very severe ...respiratory disease, now called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has airborne transmission
droplets. The rate of transmission is quite high, higher than common influenza. Healthcare workers are at high risk of contracting the infection particularly when applying respiratory devices such as oxygen cannulas or noninvasive ventilation. The aim of this article is to provide evidence-based recommendations for the correct use of "respiratory devices" in the COVID-19 emergency and protect healthcare workers from contracting the SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Summary Non-invasive mechanical ventilation has been increasingly used to avoid or serve as an alternative to intubation. Compared with medical therapy, and in some instances with invasive mechanical ...ventilation, it improves survival and reduces complications in selected patients with acute respiratory failure. The main indications are exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiogenic pulmonary oedema, pulmonary infiltrates in immunocompromised patients, and weaning of previously intubated stable patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Furthermore, this technique can be used in postoperative patients or those with neurological diseases, to palliate symptoms in terminally ill patients, or to help with bronchoscopy; however further studies are needed in these situations before it can be regarded as first-line treatment. Non-invasive ventilation implemented as an alternative to intubation should be provided in an intensive care or high-dependency unit. When used to prevent intubation in otherwise stable patients it can be safely administered in an adequately staffed and monitored ward.
As of 15 May 2020, 4 405 680 coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) cases have been reported worldwide 1. Although figures are increasing, it seems the virus aggression is lowering, significantly reducing the ...pressure on the intensive care unit (ICU) beds. At the time of writing, the lockdown is going through a new phase of remodelling, and the National Authorities are testing the possibility of resuming economic activities. From the general population point of view, this is an encouraging aspect but, all those professionals involved in the pathway of care are aware of the importance this phase has on preventing the spread of the infection.
Considering the expected high burden of respiratory, physical and psychological impairment following the acute phase of COVID-19, a huge number of patients should be referred early to a rehabilitation programme
https://bit.ly/3d0s0hu
The role of inspiratory effort still has to be determined as a potential predictor of noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) failure in acute hypoxic
respiratory failure.
To explore the hypothesis ...that inspiratory effort might be a major determinant of NIV failure in these patients.
Thirty consecutive patients with acute hypoxic
respiratory failure admitted to a single center and candidates for a 24-hour NIV trial were enrolled. Clinical features, tidal change in esophageal pressure (ΔPes), tidal change in dynamic transpulmonary pressure (ΔPl), expiratory Vt, and respiratory rate were recorded on admission and 2-4 to 12-24 hours after NIV start and were tested for correlation with outcomes.
ΔPes and ΔPes/ΔPl ratio were significantly lower 2 hours after NIV start in patients who successfully completed the NIV trial (
= 18) compared with those who needed endotracheal intubation (
= 12) (median interquartile range, 11 8-15 cm H
O vs. 31.5 30-36 cm H
O;
< 0.0001), whereas other variables differed later. ΔPes was not related to other predictors of NIV failure at baseline. NIV-induced reduction in ΔPes of 10 cm H
O or more after 2 hours of treatment was strongly associated with avoidance of intubation and represented the most accurate predictor of treatment success (odds ratio, 15; 95% confidence interval, 2.8-110;
= 0.001 and area under the curve, 0.97; 95% confidence interval, 0.91-1;
< 0.0001).
The magnitude of inspiratory effort relief as assessed by ΔPes variation within the first 2 hours of NIV was an early and accurate predictor of NIV outcome at 24 hours.Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03826797).
High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) has become a frequently used noninvasive form of respiratory support in acute settings; however, evidence supporting its use has only recently emerged. These guidelines ...provide evidence-based recommendations for the use of HFNC alongside other noninvasive forms of respiratory support in adults with acute respiratory failure (ARF).
The European Respiratory Society task force panel included expert clinicians and methodologists in pulmonology and intensive care medicine. The task force used the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) methods to summarise evidence and develop clinical recommendations for the use of HFNC alongside conventional oxygen therapy (COT) and noninvasive ventilation (NIV) for the management of adults in acute settings with ARF.
The task force developed eight conditional recommendations, suggesting the use of 1) HFNC over COT in hypoxaemic ARF; 2) HFNC over NIV in hypoxaemic ARF; 3) HFNC over COT during breaks from NIV; 4) either HFNC or COT in post-operative patients at low risk of pulmonary complications; 5) either HFNC or NIV in post-operative patients at high risk of pulmonary complications; 6) HFNC over COT in nonsurgical patients at low risk of extubation failure; 7) NIV over HFNC for patients at high risk of extubation failure unless there are relative or absolute contraindications to NIV; and 8) trialling NIV prior to use of HFNC in patients with COPD and hypercapnic ARF.
HFNC is a valuable intervention in adults with ARF. These conditional recommendations can assist clinicians in choosing the most appropriate form of noninvasive respiratory support to provide to patients in different acute settings.
Oxygen therapy can be delivered using low-flow, intermediate-flow (air entrainment mask), or high-flow devices. Low/intermediate-flow oxygen devices have several drawbacks that cause critically ill ...patients discomfort and translate into suboptimal clinical results. These include limitation of the FiO
2
(due to the high inspiratory flow often observed in patients with respiratory failure), and insufficient humidification and warming of the inspired gas. High-flow nasal cannula oxygenation (HFNCO) delivers oxygen flow rates of up to 60 L/min and over the last decade its effect on clinical outcomes has widely been evaluated, such as in the improvement of respiratory distress, the need for intubation, and mortality. Mechanisms of action of HFNCO are complex and not limited to the increased oxygen flow rate. The main aim of this review is to guide clinicians towards evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. It summarizes current knowledge about HFNCO use in ICU patients and the potential areas of uncertainties. For instance, it has been recently suggested that HFNCO could improve the outcome of patients with hypoxemic acute respiratory failure. In other settings, research is ongoing and additional evidence is needed. For instance, if intubation is required, studies suggest that HFNCO may help to improve preoxygenation and can be used after extubation. Likewise, HFNCO might be used in obese patients, or to prevent respiratory deterioration in hypoxemic patients requiring bronchoscopy, or for the delivery of aerosol therapy. However, areas for which conclusive data exist are limited and interventions using standardized HFNCO protocols, comparators, and relevant clinical outcomes are warranted.
Identifying the predictors of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) failure has attracted significant interest because of the strong link between failure and poor outcomes. However, very little attention has ...been paid to the timing of the failure. This narrative review focuses on the causes of NIV failure and risk factors and potential remedies for NIV failure, based on the timing factor.
The possible causes of immediate failure (within minutes to <1 h) are a weak cough reflex, excessive secretions, hypercapnic encephalopathy, intolerance, agitation, and patient-ventilator asynchrony. The major potential interventions include chest physiotherapeutic techniques, early fiberoptic bronchoscopy, changing ventilator settings, and judicious sedation. The risk factors for early failure (within 1 to 48 h) may differ for hypercapnic and hypoxemic respiratory failure. However, most cases of early failure are due to poor arterial blood gas (ABGs) and an inability to promptly correct them, increased severity of illness, and the persistence of a high respiratory rate. Despite a satisfactory initial response, late failure (48 h after NIV) can occur and may be related to sleep disturbance.
Every clinician dealing with NIV should be aware of these risk factors and the predicted parameters of NIV failure that may change during the application of NIV. Close monitoring is required to detect early and late signs of deterioration, thereby preventing unavoidable delays in intubation.
The diagnostic concordance between transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC)-versus surgical lung biopsy (SLB) as the current gold standard-in interstitial lung disease (ILD) cases requiring histology ...remains controversial.
To assess diagnostic concordance between TBLC and SLB sequentially performed in the same patients, the diagnostic yield of both techniques, and subsequent changes in multidisciplinary assessment (MDA) decisions.
A two-center prospective study included patients with ILD with a nondefinite usual interstitial pneumonia pattern (on high-resolution computed tomography scan) confirmed at a first MDA. Patients underwent TBLC immediately followed by video-assisted thoracoscopy for SLB at the same anatomical locations. After open reading of both sample types by local pathologists and final diagnosis at a second MDA (MDA2), anonymized TBLC and SLB slides were blindly assessed by an external expert pathologist (T.V.C.). Kappa-concordance coefficients and percentage agreement were computed for: TBLC versus SLB, MDA2 versus TBLC, MDA2 versus SLB, and blinded pathology versus routine pathology.
Twenty-one patients were included. The median TBLC biopsy size (longest axis) was 7 mm (interquartile range, 5-8 mm). SLB biopsy sizes averaged 46.1 ± 13.8 mm. Concordance coefficients and percentage agreement were: TBLC versus SLB: κ = 0.22 (95% confidence interval CI, 0.01-0.44), percentage agreement = 38% (95% CI, 18-62%); MDA2 versus TBLC: κ = 0.31 (95% CI, 0.06-0.56), percentage agreement = 48% (95% CI, 26-70)%; MDA2 versus SLB: κ = 0.51 (95% CI, 0.27-0.75), percentage agreement = 62% (95% CI, 38-82%); two pneumothoraces (9.5%) were recorded during TBLC. TBLC would have led to a different treatment if SLB was not performed in 11 of 21 (52%) of cases.
Pathological results from TBLC and SLB were poorly concordant in the assessment of ILD. SLBs were more frequently concordant with the final diagnosis retained at MDA.
To provide guidance on the clinical management of dyspnea in adult patients with advanced cancer.
ASCO convened an Expert Panel to review the evidence and formulate recommendations. An Agency for ...Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) systematic review provided the evidence base for nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic interventions to alleviate dyspnea. The review included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies with a concurrent comparison group published through early May 2020. The ASCO Expert Panel also wished to address dyspnea assessment, management of underlying conditions, and palliative care referrals, and for these questions, an additional systematic review identified RCTs, systematic reviews, and guidelines published through July 2020.
The AHRQ systematic review included 48 RCTs and two retrospective cohort studies. Lung cancer and mesothelioma were the most commonly addressed types of cancer. Nonpharmacologic interventions such as fans provided some relief from breathlessness. Support for pharmacologic interventions was limited. A meta-analysis of specialty breathlessness services reported improvements in distress because of dyspnea.
A hierarchical approach to dyspnea management is recommended, beginning with dyspnea assessment, ascertainment and management of potentially reversible causes, and referral to an interdisciplinary palliative care team. Nonpharmacologic interventions that may be offered to relieve dyspnea include airflow interventions (eg, a fan directed at the cheek), standard supplemental oxygen for patients with hypoxemia, and other psychoeducational, self-management, or complementary approaches. For patients who derive inadequate relief from nonpharmacologic interventions, systemic opioids should be offered. Other pharmacologic interventions, such as corticosteroids and benzodiazepines, are also discussed.Additional information is available at www.asco.org/supportive-care-guidelines.
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