Functional ability in younger and older elderlies after discharge from the intensive care unit. A prospective cohort.

Objective: To compare the functional capacity of younger elderly individuals (60 to 79 years old) with that of older elderly individuals (≥ 80 years old) during the first 6 months after discharge from the intensive care unit.

Methods: A multicenter prospective cohort study was conducted, in which data on intensive care unit admission and outcomes after hospital discharge (immediate post-discharge, after 3 months and after 6 months) were collected. Muscle strength was evaluated through the protocol of the Medical Research Council and dynamometry (handgrip); the ability to perform activities of daily life and functional independence were assessed by the Barthel index and the usual level of physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire); and quality of life was assessed by the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey Version 2.

Behavior of lung ultrasound findings during spontaneous breathing trial.

Objective: We aimed to investigate a potential association between B-lines and weaning failure.

Methods: Fifty-seven subjects eligible for ventilation liberation were enrolled. Patients with tracheostomy were excluded.

Alveolar recruitment maneuver and perioperative ventilatory support in obese patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

The development of abdominal surgery represents an alternative therapy for the morbidly obese; however, patients undergoing this surgical procedure often experience postoperative pulmonary complications. The use of alveolar recruitment maneuvers and/or perioperative ventilatory strategies is a possible alternative to reduce these complications, focusing on the reduction of postoperative pulmonary complications. In this review, the benefits of perioperative ventilatory strategies and the implementation of alveolar recruitment maneuvers in obese patients undergoing abdominal surgery are described.