A rare case of a patient with cystinosis and COVID-19 pneumonia with difficult weaning from mechanical ventilation: the "pocus force".

Here, we describe the case of a 39-year-old woman with cystinosis who already suffered from an extra parenchymal pattern of restrictive lung disease and, after SARS-CoV-2-related respiratory failure, had a difficult weaning from mechanical ventilation and required tracheostomy. In this rare disease, due to the mutation of the CTNS-gene located on chromosome 17p13, cystine accumulation in the distal muscle has been reported, even in the absence of manifest muscle fatigue. We were able to evaluate diaphragmatic weakness in this patient through the ultrasonographic evaluation of the diaphragm.

Cardiac Output Evaluation on Septic Shock Patients: Comparison between Calibrated and Uncalibrated Devices during Vasopressor Therapy.

There are no reliable, non-invasive methods to accurately measure cardiac output (CO) in septic patients. MostCare (Vytech Health™, Vygon, Padova, Italy), is a beat-to-beat, self calibrated method for CO measurement based on continuous analysis of reflected arterial pressure waveforms. We enrolled 40 patients that were suffering from septic shock and requiring norepinephrine infusion to target blood pressure in order to to evaluate the level of agreement between a calibrated transpulmonary thermodilution device (PiCCO System, Pulsion Medical Systems, Feldkirchen, Germany) and the MostCare system in detecting and tracking changes in CO measurements related to norepinephrine reduction in septic shock patients,.

QOLEC2: a randomized controlled trial on nutritional and respiratory counseling after esophagectomy for cancer.

Background: Esophagectomy for cancer strongly impairs quality of life. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effect of the nutritional and respiratory counseling on postoperative quality of life.

Methods: At hospital discharge, patients were randomized into four groups receiving respectively: nutritional and respiratory counseling, nutritional counseling alone, respiratory counseling alone, or standard care.

Pulse contour analysis of arterial waveform in a high fidelity human patient simulator.

The measurement of cardiac output (CO) may be useful to improve the assessment of hemodynamics during simulated scenarios. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of introducing an uncalibrated pulse contour device (MostCare, Vytech, Vygon, Padova, Italy) into the simulation environment. MostCare device was plugged to a clinical monitor and connected to the METI human patient simulator (HPS) to obtain a continuous arterial waveform analysis and CO calculation.

Sleep disturbances and quality of life in postoperative management after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

Background: The aims of this prospective study were to analyze the predictors of postoperative sleep disturbance after esophagectomy for cancer and to identify patients at risk for postoperative hypnotic administration.

Methods: Sixty two consecutive patients who underwent cancer-related esophagectomy were enrolled in this study from May 2011 to February 2012. Data about perioperative management, postoperative complications, ICU stay, and vasopressor, hypnotic, and painkiller administration were retrieved.

Can tissue oxygenation index (TOI) and cotside neurophysiological variables predict outcome in depressed/asphyxiated newborn infants?

Background: Diagnostic tools of birth asphyxia provide only an uncertain prediction of neurological outcome.

Aims: To assess whether TOI and DeltaCBV, combined with a set of biochemical and neurophysiological variables, have any diagnostic and prognostic value in birth depression or asphyxia.

Study Design: Case control study at the nursery and NICU of the Padova University Children's Hospital.

Does helmet CPAP reduce cerebral blood flow and volume by comparison with Infant Flow driver CPAP in preterm neonates?

Objective: We compared neonatal helmet continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and the conventional nasal Infant Flow driver (IFD) CPAP in the noninvasive assessment of absolute cerebral blood flow (CBF) and relative cerebral blood volume changes (DeltaCBV) by near-infrared spectroscopy.

Design And Setting: A randomized crossover study in a tertiary referral NICU.

Patients And Interventions: Assessment of CBF and DeltaCBV in 17 very low birth weight infants with respiratory distress (median age 5 days) treated with two CPAP devices at a continuous distending pressure of 4 mbar.