Comparison of short-term psychological outcomes of respiratory failure treated by either invasive or non-invasive ventilation.

Background: There is now widespread recognition of the development of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in individuals subjected to treatment in the hospital intensive care unit (ICU).

Objective: The authors sought to investigate traumatic aspects of the ICU hospitalization experience.

Method: A group of 20 adult pulmonary patients requiring ventilation in the ICU were compared with 20 patients treated without ventilation.

Effects of upper respiratory tract illnesses in a working population.

The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of upper respiratory tract illnesses on efficiency at work. This was done using the 'after-effect' technique with measurements being taken before and after work and the difference between these giving an indication of efficiency over the day. All of the volunteers (N = 48) were tested when healthy to provide baseline data for simple reaction time and mood.