Some patients requiring long-term intermittent or continuous mechanical ventilation can be safely treated at home with less cost and greater patient and family satisfaction. This is supported by experience with restrictive or obstructive respiratiroy disease patients in a respirator home care program from 1973 through 1979; some were followed for over four years. Moreover, risk is low as judged...

A young woman twenty-six weeks pregnant and dying from cancer lies heavily sedated and attached to a respirator. Is she competent to determine what life-prolonging measures should be taken, or to consent to an emergency cesarean section that may save her fetus but will probably shorten her life? A quadriplegic young man wishes to end his life and requests a court order granting immunity for the...

The level of integrated phrenic nerve activity (C3 root) has been studied under various forms of impairment of respiratory muscle function, such as paralysis (gallamine), pneumothorax and phrenectomy. Experiments were performed in two groups of rabbits artificially ventilated by means of the conventional respirator and the phrenic nerve driven respirator. It was found that both paralysis and bi...

With the purpose of assessing the damages to N95 respirator masks over time and to estimate their expiration after use in clinical practice, this study was based on the descriptive analysis of N95 cone-shaped masks collected by nursing assistants after one, five, 15, and 30 consecutive days of use. Personal identification marks were founds in every respirator already on the first day of use. Fr...

The knowledge, attitude and practice on using personal protective equipment (PPE) of rattan craftsmen to protect themselves from health effect related to sulfur dioxide exposure in Thuong Hien trade village at Kienxuong district, Thaibinh province, Vietnam was conducted using cross-sectional analytic study. The rattan craftsmen (n=403) were interviewed by face to face questionnaire. The results...

Respirator performance rating tables have been constructed for hot, humid (29 degrees C, 95% RH); hot, dry (49 degrees C, 30% RH); and cold, dry (-32 degrees C, 70% RH) conditions. These tables convey expected wearer performance percentages compared to unmasked workers for various mask elements and work rates. The hot, humid condition was found to be the most severe overall. Many table entries ...