Neurally adjusted ventilatory assist in patients with acute respiratory failure: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Patient-ventilator asynchrony is a common problem in mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory failure. It is assumed that asynchronies worsen lung function and prolong the duration of mechanical ventilation (MV). Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist (NAVA) is a novel approach to MV based on neural respiratory center output that is able to trigger, cycle, and regulate the ventilatory cycle.

Evaluating the efficacy of dexamethasone in the treatment of patients with persistent acute respiratory distress syndrome: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Although much has evolved in our understanding of the pathogenesis and factors affecting outcome of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), still there is no specific pharmacologic treatment for ARDS. Several clinical trials have evaluated the utility of corticoids but none of them has demonstrated a definitive benefit due to small sample sizes, selection bias, patient heterogeneity, and time of initiation of treatment or duration of therapy. We postulated that adjunctive treatment of persistent ARDS with intravenous dexamethasone might change the pulmonary and systemic inflammatory response and thereby reduce morbidity, leading to a decrease in duration of mechanical ventilation and a decrease in mortality.

Age, PaO2/FIO2, and Plateau Pressure Score: A Proposal for a Simple Outcome Score in Patients With the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Objectives: Although there is general agreement on the characteristic features of the acute respiratory distress syndrome, we lack a scoring system that predicts acute respiratory distress syndrome outcome with high probability. Our objective was to develop an outcome score that clinicians could easily calculate at the bedside to predict the risk of death of acute respiratory distress syndrome patients 24 hours after diagnosis.

Design: A prospective, multicenter, observational, descriptive, and validation study.

Assessment of PaO₂/FiO₂ for stratification of patients with moderate and severe acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Objectives: A recent update of the definition of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) proposed an empirical classification based on ratio of arterial partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO₂/FiO₂) at ARDS onset. Since the proposal did not mandate PaO₂/FiO₂ calculation under standardised ventilator settings (SVS), we hypothesised that a stratification based on baseline PaO₂/FiOv would not provide accurate assessment of lung injury severity.

Design: A prospective, multicentre, observational study.

A universal definition of ARDS: the PaO2/FiO2 ratio under a standard ventilatory setting--a prospective, multicenter validation study.

Purpose: The PaO2/FiO2 is an integral part of the assessment of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The American-European Consensus Conference definition does not mandate any standardization procedure. We hypothesized that the use of PaO2/FiO2 calculated under a standard ventilatory setting within 24 h of ARDS diagnosis allows a more clinically relevant ARDS classification.

Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Epidemiology and Natural History study: Incidence and outcome of the acute respiratory distress syndrome in children.

Objectives: The incidence and outcome of the acute respiratory distress syndrome in children are not well-known, especially under current ventilatory practices. The goal of this study was to determine the incidence, etiology, and outcome of acute respiratory distress syndrome in the pediatric population in the setting of lung protective ventilation.

Design: A 1-yr, prospective, multicenter, observational study in 12 geographical areas of Spain (serving a population of 3.

The ALIEN study: incidence and outcome of acute respiratory distress syndrome in the era of lung protective ventilation.

Purpose: While our understanding of the pathogenesis and management of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has improved over the past decade, estimates of its incidence have been controversial. The goal of this study was to examine ARDS incidence and outcome under current lung protective ventilatory support practices before and after the diagnosis of ARDS.

Methods: This was a 1-year prospective, multicenter, observational study in 13 geographical areas of Spain (serving a population of 3.