OBJECTIVE To develop additional criteria to predict for successful extubation of very-low-birth-weight infants recovering from respiratory distress syndrome. DESIGN Prospective study. SETTING Neonatal intensive care unit at a university teaching hospital. INTERVENTIONS Infants ready for extubation according to clinical, ventilatory and blood gas criteria were studied. Before extubation, t...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the value of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy after extubation in patients with acute respiratory failure. METHODS A single-center, prospective, randomized, controlled pilot trial was conducted between January 2013 and December 2014. Sixty enrolled patients were randomized immediately after extubation into either a high-flow nasal cannula group (n=30) or an air ...

BACKGROUND Respiratory support following postoperative extubation is of major importance to prevent hypoxemia and subsequent respiratory failure and reintubation. High-flow nasal cannula oxygen (HFNC) delivers a flow-dependent positive airway pressure and improves oxygenation by increasing end-expiratory lung volume. Whether application of HFNC may have therapeutic advantages over conventional ...

OBJECTIVE Respiratory management of patients with end-stage respiratory muscle failure of neuromuscular disease has evolved from no treatment and inevitable respiratory failure to the use of up to continuous noninvasive intermittent positive pressure ventilatory support (CNVS) to avert respiratory failure and to permit the extubation of "unweanable" patients without tracheostomy. An internation...

OBJECTIVES To review perioperative airway management and ventilation strategy during the surgical removal of papilloma under suspension laryngoscopy in pediatric patients with severe airway obstruction. METHODS Seventy pediatric patients with degree III and IV laryngeal obstruction who underwent suspension laryngoscopy to remove laryngeal papillomatosis, between July 2005 and March 2009, were...

BACKGROUND The pediatric literature addressing extubation readiness parameters and strategies to wean from mechanical ventilation is limited. METHODS We designed a survey to assess the use of extubation readiness parameters among pediatric critical care physicians at academic centers in the United States. RESULTS The overall response rate was 44.1% (417/945). The majority of respondents che...

AIM To determine whether extubation to nasal continuous airway pressure (NCPAP) results in a greater proportion of infants remaining free of additional ventilatory support for one week after extubation compared with those extubated directly to headbox oxygen. METHODS A randomised, controlled, clinical trial was conducted at the neonatal intensive care unit of the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbo...

INTRODUCTION The extubation period is one of the most challenging aspects for intensive care teams. Timely recognition of the return to spontaneous ventilation is essential for reducing costs, morbidity, and mortality. Several weaning predictors were studied in an attempt to evaluate the outcome of removing ventilatory support. The purpose of this study was to analyze the predictive performance...

BACKGROUND External maxillary distractions present additional anesthetic concerns to the existing complexity of the patient with craniofacial disorder. The distraction hardware is rigidly fixed to the cranium and projects in the frontofacial midline, thus limiting oronasal airway access. METHODS A review of 16 patients (10 male, 6 female) having external maxillary distraction was done. Patien...