scholarly journals Cryoprobe biopsy for the diagnosis of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure of undetermined origin

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-123
Author(s):  
Marcos J Las Heras ◽  
Jose Dianti ◽  
Manuel Tisminetzky ◽  
Graciela Svetliza ◽  
Sergio E Giannasi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Failure ◽  
Diagnostic Yield ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Safe Procedure ◽  
Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure ◽  
Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure ◽  
Select Group ◽  
Lung Sample ◽  
Appropriate Treatment

Rationale Acute hypoxemic respiratory failure is a condition that comprises a wide array of entities. Obtaining a histological lung sample might help reach a diagnosis and direct an appropriate treatment in a select group of patients. Objective To describe our experience in the use of cryobiopsy for the diagnosis of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure of undetermined origin. Methods Retrospective analysis of case series of patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure who underwent lung cryobiopsy at the Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Results Cryobiopsy yielded a histological diagnosis in all patients ( n = 10, 100%). This led to either a change in therapy or continuation of a specific treatment in eight of these patients. Cryobiopsy was found to be contributive in all the patients who did not meet Berlin criteria for acute respiratory distress syndrome. No major complications were associated with the procedure. Conclusions Cryobiopsy is a safe procedure with a high diagnostic yield in a selected group of patients.

scholarly journals Proning in Non-Intubated (PINI) in Times of COVID-19: Case Series and a Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (8) ◽  
pp. 818-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishesh Paul ◽  
Shawn Patel ◽  
Michelle Royse ◽  
Mazen Odish ◽  
Atul Malhotra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Respiratory Failure ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Treatment Algorithm ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure ◽  
Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure ◽  
Significant Survival

It has been well known for decades that prone positioning (PP) improves oxygenation. However, it has gained widespread acceptance only in the last few years since studies have shown significant survival benefit. Many centers have established prone ventilation in their treatment algorithm for mechanically ventilated patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Physiologically, PP should also benefit awake, non-intubated patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. However, proning in non-intubated (PINI) patients did not gain any momentum until a few months ago when the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic surged. A large number of sick patients overwhelmed the health care system, and many centers faced a dearth of ventilators. In addition, outcomes of patients placed on mechanical ventilation because of COVID-19 infection have been highly variable and often dismal. Hence, increased focus has shifted to using various strategies to prevent intubation, such as PINI. There is accumulating evidence that PINI is a low-risk intervention that can be performed even outside intensive care unit with minimal assistance and may prevent intubation in certain patients with ARDS. It can also be performed safely at smaller centers and, therefore, may reduce the patient transfer to larger institutions that are overwhelmed in the current crisis. We present a case series of 2 patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure who experienced significant improvements in oxygenation with PP. In addition, the physiology of PP is described, and concerns such as proning in obese and patient’s anxiety are addressed; an educational pamphlet that may be useful for both patients and health care providers is provided.

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