The term obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) refers to the combination of obesity and chronic hypercapnia that cannot be directly attributed to underlying cardiorespiratory disease. Despite a plethora of potential pathophysiological mechanisms for gas exchange and respiratory control abnormalities that have been described in the obese, the etiology of hypercapnia in OHS has been only partial...

The definition of obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) proposed by Hart et al raises two questions that we have tried to answer briefly in this letter. First, previous definitions of OHS included obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA); Hart et al have excluded it. Why? OSA is present in most patients with OHS and is partly responsible for the hypercapnia. We believe that it is useful to include it in...

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UNLABELLED BACKGROUND Hypoventilation due to respiratory insufficiency is the most common cause of death in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and non-invasive ventilation (NIV) can be used as a palliative treatment. The current guidelines recommend performing spirometry, and recording nocturnal oxyhemoglobin saturation and arterial blood gas analysis to assess the severity of the hypoventi...

The concept of central sleep apnoea or hypoventilation encompasses hypercapnic central hypoventilation, such as obesity hypoventilation syndrome and eucapnic or hypocapnic central sleep apnoea. Among subjects with eucapnic or hypocapnic central sleep apnoea, several therapeutic options are available for those with Cheyne–Stokes respiration (CSR). CSR is frequent in patients with New York Heart ...

HYPOTHESIS Blood loss in hepatic resection is an important determinant of operative outcome. OBJECTIVE To clarify whether reducing the tidal volume would be effective in decreasing blood loss during liver transection. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SETTING University hospital. PATIENTS Eighty patients scheduled to undergo hepatic resection were randomly assigned to receive liver tr...