Trends in sleep apnea and heart failure related mortality in the United States from 1999 to 2019.

National estimates of deaths related to both heart failure (HF) and sleep apnea (SA) are not known. We evaluated the trends in HF and SA related mortality using the CDC-WONDER database in adults aged ≥25 years in the US. All deaths related to HF and SA as contributing or underlying causes of death were queried.

The Impact of a Web-Based Preintubation Preparation Module on the Knowledge, Confidence, and Behavior of Critical Care Fellows: A Single-Center Pilot Study.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to standardize airway management among critical care fellows and to evaluate whether the completion of a web-based preintubation airway preparation module improves their knowledge and behaviors in the identification and preparation of difficult airways.

Methods: Critical care experts used international guidelines to develop the module, which contained mandatory readings, brief lectures, and a case-based activity. We measured learner satisfaction, improvements in fellows' preintubation preparation knowledge, and safety-oriented behavior.

Use of the blood substitute HBOC-201 in critically ill patients during sickle crisis: a three-case series.

Background: Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is an important treatment modality during severe sickle cell crisis (SCC). SCC patients who refuse, or cannot accept, RBCs present a unique challenge. Acellular hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) might be an alternative for critically ill patients in SCC with multiorgan failure due to life-threatening anemia.

How well do patients and providers agree on the severity of dyspnea?

Background: Understanding the severity of patients' dyspnea is critical to avoid under- or overtreatment of patients with acute cardiopulmonary conditions.

Objective: To evaluate the agreement between dyspnea assessment by patients and healthcare providers and to explore which factors contribute to discordance in assessment.

Design, Settings And Participants: Prospective study of patients hospitalized for acute cardiopulmonary diseases at an urban teaching hospital.

The Trajectory of Dyspnea in Hospitalized Patients.

Context: The trajectory of dyspnea for patients hospitalized with acute cardiopulmonary disease, who are not terminally ill, is poorly characterized.

Objectives: To investigate the natural history of dyspnea during hospitalization and examine the role that admission diagnosis, and patient factors play in altering symptom resolution.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of patients hospitalized for an acute cardiopulmonary condition at a large tertiary care center.

The Economic and Humanistic Burden of Severe Sepsis.

Sepsis and severe sepsis in particular remain a major health problem worldwide. Their cost to society extends well beyond lives lost, as the impact of survivorship is increasingly felt. A review of the medical literature was completed in MEDLINE using the search phrases "severe sepsis" and "septic shock" and the MeSH terms "epidemiology", "statistics", "mortality", "economics", and "quality of life".

Diaphragm ultrasound as a predictor of successful extubation from mechanical ventilation.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate if ultrasound derived measures of diaphragm thickening, rather than diaphragm motion, can be used to predict extubation success or failure.

Methods: Sixty-three mechanically ventilated patients were prospectively recruited. Diaphragm thickness (tdi) was measured in the zone of apposition of the diaphragm to the rib cage using a 7-10 MHz ultrasound transducer.

Methacholine-induced airway hyper-reactivity phenotypes.

Objective: The incorporation of airways conductance/resistance is a rare feature in clinical methacholine challenge test (MCT) protocols, and the majority of pulmonary laboratories rely solely on the spirometric parameters. The importance and interpretation of an MCT demonstrating a significant decline in specific airway conductance specific airway conductance (sGaw), but not forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)), remains undefined. This study sought to elucidate the clinical and physiologic phenotypes of individuals with a ≥40% sGaw decline but <20% FEV(1) change.