Reducing ethnic inequities: Patterns of asthma medication use and hospital discharges in Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Background And Objective: In Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) widespread transition to budesonide/formoterol maintenance and/or reliever regimens in clinical practice is temporally associated with reduced rates of asthma hospitalization. It is unknown whether this association is observed in Māori, the indigenous population of NZ, who experience a disproportionate burden from asthma. We investigated patterns in asthma medication use and hospital admissions in Māori in NZ.

Dry-powder inhaler use in primary school-aged children with asthma: a systematic review.

Objective: Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children. Dry-powder inhalers (DPIs) are effective for medication delivery in adults and adolescents, and provide a lower environmental footprint and more portability than a metered dose inhaler (MDI) with a spacer. They require a specific technique, and it is necessary to ascertain whether they can be used in younger age groups.

The Influence of Participation in an Intensive Care Trial on Health Practitioners' Knowledge of the Results-A Self-Reported Survey.

Aim: The Intensive Care Unit Randomised Trial Comparing Two Approaches to Oxygen Therapy Trial (ICU-ROX) compared conservative oxygen therapy with usual care in mechanically ventilated adults in Australian and New Zealand intensive care units. Dissemination focused on publication and presentation, with no targeted approach. The current study aimed to investigate whether health practitioners from intensive care units that participated in ICU-ROX were more likely to report they knew the trial results and had read the publication than those from intensive care units that did not participate; explore whether there was a difference between doctors' and nurses' knowledge of the ICU-ROX results and whether they read the publication.

Efficacy of Noninvasive Ventilation With Expiratory Washout in Stable COPD Patients.

Background: A noninvasive ventilation (NIV) mask has been designed to deliver NIV with expiratory washout to improve efficacy of ventilation by optimizing clearance of expired gases from the anatomic dead space. This study compared the performance and comfort of a novel investigational mask with expiratory washout with a conventional mask during NIV therapy.

Methods: In this pilot crossover study, participants with severe stable COPD attended a single visit to receive bi-level NIV through 2 masks; the investigational mask with expiratory washout and a conventional mask.

Effect of automated titration of oxygen on time spent in a prescribed oxygen saturation range in adults in the ICU after cardiac surgery.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether automated titration of the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO) increases the time spent with oxygen saturation (SpO) within a predetermined target SpO range compared with manually adjusted high-flow oxygen therapy in postoperative cardiac surgical patients managed in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Design: Single-centre, open-label, randomised clinical trial.

Setting: Tertiary centre ICU.

The evidence base for ICS/formoterol maintenance and reliever therapy in severe asthma.

https://bit.ly/4aVFrNH

Automated oxygen titration with non-invasive ventilation in hypoxaemic adults with cardiorespiratory disease: a randomised cross-over trial.

Background: Closed-loop oxygen control systems automatically adjust the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO) to maintain oxygen saturation (SpO) within a predetermined target range. Their performance with low and high-flow oxygen therapies, but not with non-invasive ventilation, has been established. We compared the effect of automated oxygen on achieving and maintaining a target SpO range with nasal high flow (NHF), bilevel positive airway pressure (bilevel) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), in stable hypoxaemic patients with chronic cardiorespiratory disease.

Patterns of asthma medication use and hospital discharges in New Zealand.

Background: In New Zealand a progressive increase in budesonide/formoterol dispensing, accompanied by a reduction in dispensing of short-acting β-agonists (SABAs), inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs), and other ICS/long-acting β-agonists (ICSs/LABAs), occurred in the 18-month period following publication of the 2020 New Zealand asthma guidelines, which recommended budesonide/formoterol anti-inflammatory reliever therapy.

Objective: Our aim was to investigate more recent trends in asthma medication use and asthma hospital discharges in New Zealand.

Methods: New Zealand national dispensing data for inhalers for the period from January 2010 to December 2022 were reviewed for patients aged 12 years and older.

Albuterol-budesonide fixed-dose combination rescue inhaler for asthma: a plain language summary of the MANDALA study.

This summary describes the results of a clinical study called MANDALA that was published in the in 2022. In the MANDALA study, researchers looked at a new asthma rescue inhaler that contains both and in a single inhaler (known as , AIRSUPRA™). This summary describes the results for people aged 18 yearsand older who took part in the study.

The carbon footprint of as-needed budesonide/formoterol in mild asthma: a analysis.

Introduction: The use of pressurised metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs) and asthma exacerbations necessitating healthcare reviews contribute substantially to the global carbon footprint of healthcare. It is possible that a reduction in carbon footprint could be achieved by switching patients with mild asthma from salbutamol pMDI reliever-based therapy to inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol dry powder inhaler (DPI) reliever therapy, as recommended by the Global Initiative for Asthma.

Methods: This analysis included all 668 adult participants in the Novel START trial, who were randomised 1:1:1 to treatment with as-needed budesonide/formoterol DPI, as-needed salbutamol pMDI or maintenance budesonide DPI plus as-needed salbutamol pMDI.

START CARE: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial of step-wise budesonide-formoterol reliever-based treatment in children.

Background: Asthma is the most common chronic childhood respiratory condition globally. Inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)-formoterol reliever-based regimens reduce the risk of asthma exacerbations compared with conventional short-acting β-agonist (SABA) reliever-based regimens in adults and adolescents. The current limited evidence for anti-inflammatory reliever therapy in children means it is unknown whether these findings are also applicable to children.

Prospective, Multi-center, Single-Arm Study of the Auryon Laser System for Treatment of Below-the-Knee Arteries in Patients With Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia: 30-Day Results of the Auryon BTK.

The 355 nm Auryon laser (AngioDynamics, Inc., Latham, New York) has been shown to be effective and safe in treating various morphology lesions in the femoropopliteal arteries. There are limited data on the Auryon laser in treating below-the-knee (BTK) arteries in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia.

Effect of a lower target oxygen saturation range on the risk of hypoxaemia and elevated NEWS2 scores at a university hospital: a retrospective study.

Background: The optimal target oxygen saturation (SpO) range for hospital inpatients not at risk of hypercapnia is unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the impact on oxygen usage and National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) of changing the standard SpO target range from 94-98% to 92-96%.

Methods: In a metropolitan UK hospital, a database of electronic bedside SpO measurements, oxygen prescriptions and NEWS2 records was reviewed.

Associations between the intraoperative fraction of inspired intraoperative oxygen administration and days alive and out of hospital after surgery.

Background: There is limited knowledge about the effect of liberal intraoperative oxygen on non-infectious complications and overall recovery from surgery.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we investigated associations between mean intraoperative fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO), and outcome in adults undergoing elective surgery lasting more than 2 h at a large metropolitan New Zealand hospital from 2012 to 2020. Patients were divided into low, medium, and high oxygen groups (FiO ≤ 0.

The Role of ICS-Containing Rescue Therapy Versus SABA Alone in Asthma Management Today.

The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) recommends that short-acting β-agonist (SABA) monotherapy should no longer be prescribed, and that as-needed combination inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)-formoterol is the preferred reliever therapy in adults and adolescents with mild asthma. These recommendations are based on the risks of SABA monotherapy, the evidence that ICS-formoterol reliever therapy markedly decreases the occurrence of severe asthma exacerbations compared with SABA reliever therapy alone, and because ICS-formoterol reliever therapy has a favorable risk/benefit profile compared with maintenance ICS plus SABA reliever therapy. Data supporting the use of combination ICS-albuterol reliever therapy in mild asthma are more limited, but there are studies that inform its use in this population.