Non-Invasive Estimation of Optimal PEEP

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Non-Invasive Estimation of Optimal PEEP

As a general rule, mechanical ventilation of obese patients is more complex and difficult than in those with a normal body habitus. Obese patients have decreased chest wall compliance due to increased truncal adiposity, amongst other factors. They are also predisposed to other comorbidities that can lead to more involved physiologic challenges.

Critical Care Transport teams commonly transport patients who are intubated and mechanically ventilated. These patients are intubated for a variety of reasons, from altered mental status to hypercapnea to hypoxia. One of the more common challenges we face in our patients who are mechanically ventilated is difficulty with oxygenation – whether the patient is suffering primary or secondary hypoxemic respiratory failure.

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Grand Rounds Recap 4.1.20

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Grand Rounds Recap 4.1.20

As we continue our teleconferenced grand rounds, we started with a timely review of ARDS management and refractory hypoxemia with Dr. Shaw, two successful faculty guessed CPCs presented by Drs Irankunda and Pulvino and finally Dr. Jarrell gave us a much needed break with a baking show from her kitchen, with an included recipe for a mug cake!

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Grand Rounds Recap 11.6.19

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Grand Rounds Recap 11.6.19

This week Dr. Irankunda and Dr. Berger took us through their excellent QIKT on strangulation and asphyxiation. Dr. Knight walked us through the initial ventilator management in the ED. Dr. Habib talked about some common mythology and Dr. Makinen lead us through a physiologically challenging airway in a sick trauma patient. Ended with a thrilling R4 sim focusing on altitude illnesses.

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Is a Bag Enough?

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Is a Bag Enough?

Trauma scene flights are often the first thing people think of when they think of Helicopter EMS. Although we know that HEMS and Critical Care Transport involves much more than just scene flights, they are still a critical part of most HEMS programs’ mission and capabilities. In addition, many flights are “modified scenes” or “scene intercepts,” meaning the HEMS crew meets the EMS crew at an outlying hospital helipad, or arrives shortly after the patient’s arrival to an under-resourced ED. Many of these patients are critically ill, and a subset will require intubation and ventilation. Once intubated is bag valve ventilation enough? Or should all these patient’s be placed on a mechanical ventilator?

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Tidal Volume Strategies for those without ARDS

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Tidal Volume Strategies for those without ARDS

 Invasive ventilation is one of the most frequently applied interventions utilized for critically ill patients.  However, as with all medical interventions, there are potential risks and harms which must be balanced with perceived benefit.  As our understanding of physiology grows, we have found more and more potential harms associated with invasive mechanical ventilation. This review of a recent article published in JAMA explores the impact of different tidal volume strategies for patients who do not have ARDS.

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Grand Rounds Recap 2/13/19

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Grand Rounds Recap 2/13/19

This week, we started Grand Rounds with ED-critical care research brought to us by UC Alumnus Dr. Brian Fuller. He discusses ventilator management in the ED and how ED sedation may affect patient outcomes. Dr. Harrison then presented an overview and common utilization errors of ED observation from his year as a Resident Assistant Medical Director, followed by Dr. McKee’s case of inhalational chlorine exposure. Dr. Alwan discussed updates to the less than 60 day fever protocol at CCHMC and Dr. Zozula walked through the dispatcher assistance protocols to give us an idea of what happens before they enter the ED doors.

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Grand Rounds Recap 3.29.2017

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Grand Rounds Recap 3.29.2017

Dr. Grosso kicked off Grand Rounds this week with March M&M by diving deep into some core content, including BB and CCA overdoses, influenza, massive transfusion, post-intubation hypotension, and neurological catastrophes causing cardiac arrest. Dr. O'Brien broke down coagulopathy of liver disease and DIC for us while Dr. Golden taught us about febrile seizures. Drs. McKee and Colmer talked through the evidence behind their CPQE pathway on vent management in obstructive lung disease. Drs. Liebman and Powell went head to head in a CPC case about sternal osteomyelitis to round out another excellent week of learning. 

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Grand Rounds Recap 2/3/16

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Grand Rounds Recap 2/3/16

This week we had our annual Critical Care Symposium where we invited our own critical care trained faculty and a special guest to have a day chock full of critical care goodness.

Refractory septic shock with Dr. David norton

Dr. David Norton, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of the UCMC Medical Intensive Care Unit

Definition of Refractory Shock:

No clear definition exists, but we are generally describing a state of decreased vascular responsiveness despite high vasopressor infusion.

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Ventilator Management Simulation Debriefing

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Ventilator Management Simulation Debriefing

Case 1 - "Bucking the Vent"

You have inherited a patient in the VA MICU at signout.  The patient presented with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and altered mental status and was intubated for airway protection and hypoxic/hypercarbic respiratory failure.  The patient’s altered mental status has resolved but the patient remains intubated waiting for a second large-volume paracentesis that can’t be done over the long weekend at the VA. The RT calls you asking for a one time dose of 5mg Versed, but on a quick glance at the chart, the patient has been getting these Q2 hours for the last several days.  You go to the bedside and find an agitated patient motioning to take out the tube.  “He’s bucking the vent doc!”

Vent settings: AC-VC: TV500  RR12  PEEP8  FiO2 30%

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Grand Rounds Recap - 3/18/15

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Grand Rounds Recap - 3/18/15

Evidence-Based Emergency Medicine: Vent Management with Drs. Axelson & Scupp

The term Acute Lung Injury (ALI) is being phased out and instead Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is now graded mild, moderate, and severe depending on the PaO2:FiO2 ratio

The median onset of ARDS after presentation to the ED was 2 day but could be anywhere from 5 hours to 5 days

ARDS Net was a foundational trial in ventilator management and was a triall of tidal volume and plateau pressures.  The primary end point, mortality, was reduced by >20% when folks were on a low TV (6cc/kg) and lower PP (25-30 mm Hg).

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PEEP PEEP PEEP

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PEEP PEEP PEEP

Ventilator management can be one of the more intimidating aspects of caring for critically ill patients both in the ED and in the prehospital setting.   There are several great #FOAMed resources out there on varying aspects of ventilator management including the well-known series by Dr. Weingart of emcrit.org (here and here).  Ventilator management can be an absolutely massive topic but for this post, and specifically for the embedded video below, I wanted to do a little deeper dive on only one of the components of ventilatory management: PEEP.

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