Patients who have acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with persistent air leaks have worse outcomes. Endobronchial valves (EBV) are frequently deployed after pulmonary resection in noncritically ill patients to reduce and eliminate bronchopleural fistulas (BPFs) with persistent air leak (PAL). Information regarding EBV placement in mechanically ventilated patients with ARDS and high volu...

OBJECTIVE To determine the value of anastomotic leak testing of left-sided colorectal anastomoses. DESIGN Cohort analysis. SETTING Subspecialty practice at a tertiary care facility. PATIENTS Consecutive subjects were selected from a prospective colorectal database of 2627 patients treated between January l, 2001, and December 31, 2007. INTERVENTION Creation of left-sided colorectal anas...

BACKGROUND Results of studies to predict prolonged air leak (PAL; air leak longer than 5 days) after pulmonary lobectomy have been inconsistent and are of limited use. We developed a new scale representing the amount of early postoperative air leak and determined its correlation with air leak duration and its potential as a predictor of PAL. METHODS We grade postoperative air leak using a 5-g...

PURPOSE To assess whether the presence and duration of air leaks after lobectomy are associated with an increased incidence of cardiopulmonary complications. METHODS Propensity score analysis was used on 726 patients undergoing pulmonary lobectomy from 1995 through 2004 to form three well-matched pairs of patients: patients with prolonged air leak (PAL) [> 7 days] and without air leak; patien...

OBJECTIVE To correlate the timing of treatment using exogenous surfactant with the main variables related to respiratory distress syndrome or prematurity. METHODS A historic cohort study between January 1, 2004 and June 30, 2007, including very low birth weight newborns (birth weight <1,500 g) admitted to the hospital and who required surfactant therapy. Newborns were divided into three study...

Severe acute chest syndrome afflicts patients with sickle cell disease and can cause hypoxemia refractory to conventional treatments. Obstructive mucus plugging and the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome may underlie the pathophysiology of refractory hypoxemia in acute chest syndrome. Although high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) is well established in the treatment of ...

OBJECTIVE Endotracheal tube air leak pressures are used to predict postextubation upper airway compromise such as stridor, upper airway obstruction, or risk of reintubation. To determine whether the absence of an endotracheal tube air leak (air leak test >/=30 cm H2O) measured during the course of mechanical ventilation predicts extubation failure in infants and children. DESIGN Prospective, ...