Critical care physicians often fight to keep up oxygen levels in their patients with respiratory failure and ARDS to to support an energy metabolism that can sustain life. In neonates, impressive studies have long ago shown that oxygen should never be given in excess of what is needed to sufficiently load hemoglobin (in order to prevent, e.g. retinopathy). In the past decade, researchers [...]
ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome), sometimes termed "shock lung", is a dangerous condition observed in intensive care patients and is associated with a high mortality rate between 20 and 40%. But how frequently is ARDS diagnosed? Is the condition possibly under-diagnosed? I fully understand intensivists who may not be very keen on assigning this diagnosis. Psychologically, there is little upside in assigning it, [...]
Earlier this year in the CHEST magazine, four renowned critical care physicians from Spain and the US published an opinion piece "ARDS - Lessons Learned From the Heart". The Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS, sometimes referred to as Shock Lung), was first described in 1967. Bringing death to many affected patients, the condition was extensively studied since, with multiple [...]