The hematogenous spread of Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes miliary tuberculosis which is a life-threatening disease that is a recognized cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (1). The neutrophil elastase inhibitor sivelestat sodium hydrate can effectively treat lung injury associated with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) (2). Here, we describe the first successful ...

The present study aimed to assess the impact of diurnal mouthpiece intermittent positive pressure ventilation (MIPPV) as the extension of the nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). In total, 42 DMD patients aged 15-33 yrs, normocapnic at night with NIPPV and receiving MIPPV since end-diurnal hypercapnia, were studied. Transcutaneous CO2 te...

Differences between bilevel ventilators used for noninvasive intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) have been demonstrated during bench testing. However, there are no clinical studies comparing these machines. The authors have previously shown that the Quantum pressure support ventilator and Sullivan variable positive airway pressure II ST differ in performance during bench testing....

OBJECTIVE To evaluate pulmonary functions of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and myotonic muscular dystrophy (MMD) at the onset of ventilatory insufficiency. METHODS This retrospective study included ALS, DMD, and MMD patients with regular outpatient clinic follow-up in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Gangnam Severance Hospita...

BACKGROUND Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare disease in Taiwan; thus, estimation of ALS mortality is difficult. We evaluated factors associated with ALS survival in Taiwan. METHODS The study enrolled 1149 Taiwanese with a primary diagnosis of ALS during 1999-2008. Follow-up information was available for all patients; mean (SD) duration of follow-up was 2.91 (2.62) years. Medical i...

OBJECTIVE The Cox model is the dominant tool in clinical trials to compare treatment options. This model does not specify any specific form to the hazard function. On the other hand, parametric models allow the researcher to consider an appropriate shape of hazard function for the event of interest. The aim of this article is to compare performance of Cox and parametric models. METHODS We use...

OBJECTIVE To detail the history, modes, physiological effects, and circuit geometry of non-invasive ventilation. DATA SOURCES A review of articles published in peer-reviewed journals from 1966 to 1998 and identified through a MEDLINE search on non-invasive ventilation. SUMMARY OF REVIEW Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has been used for many years as an adjunct to standard therapy in patients...