Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic is placing unprecedented demand upon critical care services for invasive mechanical ventilation. There is current uncertainty regarding the role of tracheostomy for weaning ventilated patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. This is due to a number of factors including prognosis, optimal healthcare resource utilisation, and safety of healthcare workers when performing such a high-risk aerosol-generating procedure.
Methods: Literature review and proposed practical guideline based on the experience of a tertiary healthcare institution with 195 critical care admissions for COVID-19 up until 4th April 2020.
Results: A synthesis of the current international literature and reported experience is presented with respect to prognosis, viral load and staff safety, thus leading to a pragmatic recommendation that tracheostomy is not performed until at least 14 days after endotracheal intubation in COVID-19 patients. Practical steps to minimise aerosol generation in percutaneous tracheostomy are outlined and we describe the process and framework for setting up a dedicated tracheostomy team.
Conclusion: In selected COVID-19 patients, there is a role for tracheostomy to aid in weaning and optimise healthcare resource utilisation. Both percutaneous and open techniques can be performed safely with careful modifications to technique and appropriate enhanced personal protective equipment. ORL-HNS surgeons can play a valuable role in forming tracheostomy teams to support critical care teams during this global pandemic.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00405-020-05993-x | DOI Listing |
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol
January 2025
Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada;
Iron regulatory protein 2 (IRP2), a post-transcriptional regulator of cellular iron metabolism has been associated with susceptibility to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Resistive breathing (RB) is the hallmark of the pathophysiology of obstructive airway diseases, especially during exacerbations, where increased mechanical stress is imposed on the lung. We have previously shown that RB, through tracheal banding, mimicking severe airway obstruction, induces pulmonary inflammation and injury in previously healthy mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Respir Cell Mol Biol
January 2025
Duke Medicine, Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States.
Becoming more frequent due to climate change, ozone (O) exposures can cause lung injury. Alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells and hyaluronan (HA), a matrix component, are critical to repairing lung injury and restoring homeostasis. Here, we define the impact of HA on AT2 cells following acute O exposure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Respir Cell Mol Biol
January 2025
Second Military Medical University First Hospital, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai, China;
Identifying inflammation-induced leukocyte subsets and their derived circulating factors has been instrumental in understanding the progession of ALI/ARDS. Nevertheless, how primary inflammation-induced non-leukocyte populations in distal organs contribute to ALI/ARDS remains poorly defined. Here, we report one population of erythroblast-like cells (Ter-cells) deriving from megakaryocyte- erythroid progenitor cells with a unique Ter-119+CD45-CD71+ phenotype in ALI/ARDS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Med Internet Res
January 2025
Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Background: The rapid shift to video consultation services during the COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about exacerbating existing health inequities, particularly for disadvantaged populations. Intersectionality theory provides a valuable framework for understanding how multiple dimensions of disadvantage interact to shape health experiences and outcomes.
Objective: This study aims to explore how multiple dimensions of disadvantage-specifically older age, limited English proficiency, and low socioeconomic status-intersect to shape experiences with digital health services, focusing on video consultations.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) plays a pivotal role in ensuring the quality of graduate medical education (GME) training across the United States. Central to the success of this mission are designated institutional officials (DIOs), who usually serve as chief GME officers within the ACGME-accredited sponsoring institutions (SIs). Despite the critical role of DIOs, the qualifications, level of administrative support, and responsibilities of DIOs are not defined and vary significantly among SIs.
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