Clinical outcome before and after COVID-19 quarantine in patients affect of knee and hip osteoarthritis.

Background: The emergency caused by COVID-19 Pandemia has resulted in a complete suspension and consequent delay of common planned surgery such total hip replacement in patients affect by osteoarthritis. At the same time, the issue of the quarantine imposed changes to the normal lifestyle of these patients. The purpose of our study is to evaluate how the presence of these two factors affect the quality of live of patients living in the Italian red zone.

[Questionnaires for occupational disability evaluation in patients with chronic respiratory diseases].

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) represents a model of respiratory degenerative chronic disabling disorder. In Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR), occupational approach is aimed at restoring patient's abilities at best in the social, familiar and working scenarios, and it is an essential part of a good PR Programme. To evaluate first occupational disability and then the occupational outcome of a PR programme, we need appropriate tools.

Quality of generated diagnosis related groups in Italian Respiratory Intermediate Care Units.

Background: To date we lack official data on tipology of Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) and their quality in Italian Respiratory Intermediate Care Units (RICUs).

Aim: The objective of the study was to collect data on the activity of 26 Italian RICUs and to evaluate the quality of the DRGs generated.

Methods: The primary and secondary diseases, the procedures carried out and their coding using the ICD9 system (valid Italy until 2000) were collected from the discharge forms of patients admitted to RICUs.

Use of bronchodilators during non-invasive mechanical ventilation.

Bronchodilators represent one of the most important therapeutic weapons for the treatment of airway obstructive diseases and the inhaled route of administration is very often employed due to the greater drug availability and reduced magnitude of side effects. During acute exhacerbations, it is not unfrequent that the elastic and resistive loads imposed on the ventilatory pump overcome the force sustainable by the respiratory muscles and the patient requires ventilatory assistance, in order to relieve fatigue and to optimize alveolar gas exchange. During these episodes, inhaled bronchodilators, far from being discontinued, sometime must be administered during mechanical ventilation, that, in hypercapnic ventilatory failure can be frequently applied noninvasively with a good rate of success.

Demographics and clinical outcomes of patients admitted to a respiratory intensive care unit located in a rehabilitation center.

Introduction: A recent survey of respiratory intensive care units (RICU) in Italy showed that RICUs in Italy are mainly (85%) located in acute care hospitals. Forty-seven percent of the patients are admitted from emergency departments, and only 18% are admitted from intensive care units (ICU), so the percentage of patients admitted for difficulty in weaning is low (8%). Patient demographics and admission patterns in RICUs located outside acute care hospitals have not been previously described.