Publications by authors named "ND Ferguson"

Background: Survivorship after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) critical illness may be associated with important long-term sequelae, but little is known regarding mental health outcomes.

Research Question: What is the association between COVID-19 critical illness and new post-discharge mental health diagnoses.

Study Design: AND METHODS: We conducted a population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada (January 1, 2020-March 31, 2022).

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  • The study investigates whether immediate extubation after a successful breathing trial benefits adults with acute brain injuries.
  • It analyzed data from 1,406 patients in Toronto, focusing on those who were mechanically ventilated and had successful breathing trials.
  • The findings suggest that prompt extubation is linked to an increase in ventilator-free days, indicating that it may be beneficial for recovery in these patients.
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Objectives: We sought to evaluate whether different subgroups of adults with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) respond differently to high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV).

Design: The Oscillation for ARDS Treated Early (OSCILLATE) trial was a randomized controlled trial of HFOV vs. conventional ventilation that found an increased risk of in-hospital mortality (primary outcome) with HFOV.

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  • Severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with low PaO/FiO levels is life-threatening, and this study aimed to compare different management methods like low tidal volumes, moderate tidal volumes, prone ventilation, and venovenous ECMO on patient mortality.
  • A meta-analysis included 10 randomized controlled trials involving 812 participants, revealing that both VV-ECMO and prone ventilation significantly reduced mortality compared to low and moderate tidal volume strategies.
  • Though VV-ECMO showed some advantages, the comparison between VV-ECMO and prone ventilation remains unclear due to limited and indirect evidence.
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Background: Adaptive trials usually require simulations to determine values for design parameters, demonstrate error rates, and establish the sample size. We designed a Bayesian adaptive trial comparing ventilation strategies for patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure using simulations. The complexity of the analysis would usually require computationally expensive Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods but this barrier to simulation was overcome using the Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations (INLA) algorithm to provide fast, approximate Bayesian inference.

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Background: Pre-clinical studies suggest that dyssynchronous diaphragm contractions during mechanical ventilation may cause acute diaphragm dysfunction. We aimed to describe the variability in diaphragm contractile loading conditions during mechanical ventilation and to establish whether dyssynchronous diaphragm contractions are associated with the development of impaired diaphragm dysfunction.

Methods: In patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for pneumonia, septic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or acute brain injury, airway flow and pressure and diaphragm electrical activity (Edi) were recorded hourly around the clock for up to 7 days.

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BACKGROUND: Dead space and respiratory system elastance (Ers) may influence the clinical benefit of a ventilation strategy combining very low tidal volume (VT) with extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal (ECCO2R) in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. We sought to evaluate whether the effect of ECCO2R on mortality varies according to ventilatory ratio (VR; a composite variable reflective of dead space and shunt) and Ers. METHODS: Secondary analysis of a trial of a strategy combining very low VT and low-flow ECCO2R planned before the availability of trial results.

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Patients with obesity are at increased risk for developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Some centers consider obesity a relative contraindication to receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support, despite growing implementation of ECMO for ARDS in the general population. To investigate the association between obesity and mortality in patients with ARDS receiving ECMO.

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Since publication of the 2012 Berlin definition of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), several developments have supported the need for an expansion of the definition, including the use of high-flow nasal oxygen, the expansion of the use of pulse oximetry in place of arterial blood gases, the use of ultrasound for chest imaging, and the need for applicability in resource-limited settings. A consensus conference of 32 critical care ARDS experts was convened, had six virtual meetings (June 2021 to March 2022), and subsequently obtained input from members of several critical care societies. The goal was to develop a definition that would ) identify patients with the currently accepted conceptual framework for ARDS, ) facilitate rapid ARDS diagnosis for clinical care and research, ) be applicable in resource-limited settings, ) be useful for testing specific therapies, and ) be practical for communication to patients and caregivers.

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  • Safe and timely liberation from venovenous ECMO could lower the costs, duration, and complications associated with the treatment, but effective methods for this process are not well studied.
  • The research involved a systematic review of existing literature to find practical criteria and protocols for liberation from ECMO, including a variety of study types like randomized trials and guidelines.
  • The findings revealed diverse practices in ECMO liberation influenced by clinician preferences, highlighting a need for more research to establish standardized strategies and better understand the factors affecting liberation outcomes.
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  • The guidelines aim to update the 2017 clinical practice guideline (CPG) from the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM), focusing on adult patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), including cases related to COVID-19.
  • An international panel of clinical experts collaborated to create these guidelines, using established methods like the PRISMA statement for systematic reviews and the GRADE approach for assessing evidence quality and making recommendations.
  • The CPG responds to 21 specific questions and offers recommendations across several areas, such as respiratory support strategies (like high-flow nasal cannula and non-invasive ventilation) and includes expert opinions on clinical practices and future research directions.
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Objectives: Previous studies reported an association between higher driving pressure (∆P) and increased mortality for different groups of mechanically ventilated patients. However, it remained unclear if sustained intervention on ∆P, in addition to traditional lung-protective ventilation, improves outcomes. We investigated if ventilation strategies limiting daily static or dynamic ∆P reduce mortality compared with usual care in adult patients requiring greater than or equal to 24 hours of mechanical ventilation.

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  • Epinephrine is commonly used in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) resuscitation, but the evidence on its effectiveness is inconsistent.
  • A systematic review evaluated the safety and efficacy of different epinephrine doses and combinations compared to placebo in improving outcomes after OHCA.
  • The study found that while all forms of epinephrine increased return of spontaneous circulation and survival to hospital admission, there was no significant impact on long-term survival or functional outcomes, except standard-dose epinephrine showed some benefit for patients with nonshockable rhythms.
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Importance: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is used as temporary cardiorespiratory support in critically ill patients, but little is known regarding long-term psychiatric sequelae among survivors after ECMO.

Objective: To investigate the association between ECMO survivorship and postdischarge mental health diagnoses among adult survivors of critical illness.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Population-based retrospective cohort study in Ontario, Canada, from April 1, 2010, through March 31, 2020.

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Background: Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can be considered for patients with COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) who continue to deteriorate despite evidence-based therapies and lung-protective ventilation. The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization has emphasised the importance of patient selection; however, to better inform these decisions, a comprehensive and evidence-based understanding of the risk factors associated with poor outcomes is necessary. We aimed to summarise the association between pre-cannulation prognostic factors and risk of mortality in adult patients requiring venovenous ECMO for the treatment of COVID-19.

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