An Updated Review on the Use of Noninvasive Respiratory Supports in the Management of Severe Asthma Exacerbations.

Asthma is a reversible clinical condition characterized by airway obstruction due to bronchial smooth muscle contraction, inflammation and a hypersecretive state. Severe asthma exacerbations (SAE) may be a part of the natural history of this condition. Patients presenting with SAE are at higher risk of recurrent attacks, often nonresponsive to medical therapy and eventually requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (MV).

The use of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation for severe asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials with trial sequential analysis.

Introduction: To evaluate the effectiveness of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) versus standard therapy in severe asthma exacerbations through meta-analysis.

Methods: Nine randomized controlled trials (344 patients) were analyzed from inception to August 2024. Primary outcomes included respiratory rate, forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1), and oxygen saturation (SpO2).

Artificial Intelligence for Mechanical Ventilation: A Transformative Shift in Critical Care.

With the large volume of data coming from implemented technologies and monitoring systems, intensive care units (ICUs) represent a key area for artificial intelligence (AI) application. Despite the last decade has been marked by studies focused on the use of AI in medicine, its application in mechanical ventilation management is still limited. Optimizing mechanical ventilation is a complex and high-stake intervention, which requires a deep understanding of respiratory pathophysiology.

New noninvasive modalities in long-term pediatric ventilation: a scoping review.

Long-term noninvasive ventilation modalities for the pediatric population have undergone a continuous evolution. Hybrid noninvasive ventilation modalities have been recently introduced in clinical practice. Combining the advantages of conventional ventilation, hybrid modes use algorithms that automatically adjust the ventilator's settings to achieve a predefined ventilation target.

Effects of high-flow nasal therapy on swallowing function: a scoping review.

Background: High-flow nasal therapy is widely used in patients with respiratory failure in different clinical settings, but the effect of high-flow nasal therapy on respiratory-swallow coordination is unknown. Understanding this relationship is crucial, considering the necessity for patients to maintain adequate nutrition during daytime high-flow nasal therapy. This scoping review aims to synthesise available data on the effects of high-flow nasal therapy flow rates on swallowing function and the possible risk of aspiration during treatment, focusing on knowledge and evidence gaps.

Personalized Noninvasive Respiratory Support in the Perioperative Setting: State of the Art and Future Perspectives.

Noninvasive respiratory support (NRS), including high-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNOT), noninvasive ventilation (NIV) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), are routinely used in the perioperative period. : This narrative review provides an overview on the perioperative use of NRS. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative respiratory support is discussed, along with potential future areas of research.

Peri-partum respiratory management of pregnant women with neuro-muscular disorders: a prospective observational study (IT-NEUMA-Pregn study).

Background: Pregnant women with neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) often display respiratory muscle impairment which increases the risk for pulmonary complications (PCs). The aim of this study was to identify pregnant NMDs patients with pulmonary risk factors and to apply in these women non-invasive ventilation (NIV) combined with mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MI-E) in the peri-partum period.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter observational study on women with NMDs undergoing cesarean section or spontaneous labor in a network of 7 national hospitals.

Postprandial hypotension as a predictor of respiratory failure in patients with foodborne botulinum intoxication - a case-control study in outbreak investigation.

Objectives: Botulism is a rare syndrome characterized by acute, flaccid paralysis with possible involvement of respiratory muscle-producing pump failure requiring mechanical ventilation. A predominance of autonomic involvement can occur.

Methods: We enrolled patients affected by foodborne botulism during an outbreak.

A pragmatic, open-label, multi-center, randomized controlled clinical trial on the rotational use of interfaces vs standard of care in patients treated with noninvasive positive pressure ventilation for acute hypercapnic respiratory failure: the ROTAtional-USE of interface STUDY (ROTA-USE STUDY).

Background: In the last decades, noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has been increasingly used to support patients with hypercapnic and hypoxemic acute respiratory failure. Pressure ulcers are a frequently observed NIV-related adverse effect, directly related to interface type and exposure time. Switching to a different interface has been proposed as a solution to improve patient comfort.

Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Lumbar Zygapophyseal Joint Pain Using a V-Shaped Active Tip Needle: An Observational Retrospective Study.

Background: Lumbar zygapophyseal joint dysfunction represents one of the major sources of chronic low back pain. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) using a V-shaped active tip needle may offer a larger lesion of the medial branch nerves, improving clinical outcome. The aim of our study is to evaluate the efficacy and the feasibility of RFA using V-shaped active tip needles.

Cardiac arrest during a diving session: A case report and differential diagnosis.

We report a case of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest occurred in a 61-year-old recreational female diver. After resuscitation, the patient was referred to the hospital. With data provided by witnesses and appropriate medical investigations, drowning related to a failed rebreather system was the most plausible explanation.

The right interface for the right patient in noninvasive ventilation: a systematic review.

Introduction: Research in the field of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has contributed to the development of new NIV interfaces. However, interface tolerance plays a crucial role in determining the beneficial effects of NIV therapy.

Areas Covered: This systematic review explores the most significant scientific research on NIV interfaces, with a focus on the potential impact that their design might have on treatment adherence and clinical outcomes.

Intensive care medicine in Europe: perspectives from the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care.

Background: Anaesthesiology represents a rapidly evolving medical specialty in global healthcare, currently covering advanced peri-operative, pre-hospital and in-hospital critical emergency management (CREM), intensive care medicine (ICM) and pain management. The aim of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) is to develop and promote a coordinated interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary European network of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (AICM) societies for improvement of patient safety and outcome, and to enhance political and public awareness of the role of anaesthesiologists all over Europe. The ESAIC promotes coordinated interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary care for severely compromised patients, based on the European training requirements (ETR) within the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS).

High-flow nasal oxygen versus conventional oxygen therapy in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and mild hypoxaemia: a randomised controlled trial.

Rationale: In patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and mild hypoxaemia, the clinical benefit of high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) remains unclear. We aimed to examine whether HFNO compared with conventional oxygen therapy (COT) could prevent escalation of respiratory support in this patient population.

Methods: In this multicentre, randomised, parallel-group, open-label trial, patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO) ≤92% who required oxygen therapy were randomised to HFNO or COT.

Nasal pressure swings as the measure of inspiratory effort in spontaneously breathing patients with de novo acute respiratory failure.

Background: Excessive inspiratory effort could translate into self-inflicted lung injury, thus worsening clinical outcomes of spontaneously breathing patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF). Although esophageal manometry is a reliable method to estimate the magnitude of inspiratory effort, procedural issues significantly limit its use in daily clinical practice. The aim of this study is to describe the correlation between esophageal pressure swings (ΔP) and nasal (ΔP) as a potential measure of inspiratory effort in spontaneously breathing patients with de novo ARF.

ERS clinical practice guidelines: high-flow nasal cannula in acute respiratory failure.

Background: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) has become a frequently used noninvasive form of respiratory support in acute settings; however, evidence supporting its use has only recently emerged. These guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations for the use of HFNC alongside other noninvasive forms of respiratory support in adults with acute respiratory failure (ARF).

Materials And Methodology: The European Respiratory Society task force panel included expert clinicians and methodologists in pulmonology and intensive care medicine.

Implementation of noninvasive neurally adjusted ventilatory assist in pediatric acute respiratory failure: a controlled before-after quality improvement study.

Backgrounds: Pediatric noninvasive neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NIV-NAVA) has been shown to improve patient-ventilator interaction but no data on clinical outcomes are available. Aim of this study was to compare NIV-NAVA with noninvasive pressure support (NIV-PS) in children with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF), in a single-center before-after study. A cohort of thirty-four NIV-PS patients (before group) admitted to our PICU within the 2 years prior NAVA introduction was compared with a cohort of thirty children treated with NIV-NAVA during implementation phase (after group).

Association between night-time extubation and clinical outcomes in adult patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Whether night-time extubation is associated with clinical outcomes is unclear.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the association between night-time extubation and the reintubation rate, mortality, ICU and in-hospital length of stay in adult patients, compared with daytime extubation.

Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Patients with COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the pooled occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) among patients admitted to an intensive care unit with COVID-19 and mortality of those who developed VAP. We performed a systematic search on PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science from inception to 2 March 2021 for nonrandomized studies specifically addressing VAP in adult patients with COVID-19 and reporting data on at least one primary outcome of interest. Random effect single-arm meta-analysis was performed for the occurrence of VAP and mortality (at the longest follow up) and ICU length of stay.

Performance of EasyBreath Decathlon Snorkeling mask for delivering continuous positive airway pressure.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for noninvasive respiratory support devices has dramatically increased, sometimes exceeding hospital capacity. The full-face Decathlon snorkeling mask, EasyBreath (EB mask), has been adapted to deliver continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) as an emergency respiratory interface. We aimed to assess the performance of this modified EB mask and to test its use during different gas mixture supplies.

An Italian Guidance Model for the Management of Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 Patients in the Primary Care Setting.

An outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 started in China's Hubei province at the end of 2019 has rapidly become a pandemic. In Italy, a great number of patients was managed in primary care setting and the role of general practitioners and physicians working in the first-aid emergency medical service has become of utmost importance to coordinate the network between the territory and hospitals during the pandemic. Aim of this manuscript is to provide a guidance model for the management of suspected, probable, or confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the primary care setting, from diagnosis to treatment, applying also the recommendations of the Italian Society of General Medicine.

High flow nasal therapy versus noninvasive ventilation as initial ventilatory strategy in COPD exacerbation: a multicenter non-inferiority randomized trial.

Background: The efficacy and safety of high flow nasal therapy (HFNT) in patients with acute hypercapnic exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are unclear. Our aim was to evaluate the short-term effect of HFNT versus NIV in patients with mild-to-moderate AECOPD, with the hypothesis that HFNT is non-inferior to NIV on CO clearance after 2 h of treatment.

Methods: We performed a multicenter, non-inferiority randomized trial comparing HFNT and noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in nine centers in Italy.

Material and Technology: Back to the Future for the Choice of Interface for Non-Invasive Ventilation - A Concise Review.

Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has dramatically changed the treatment of both acute and chronic respiratory failure in the last 2 decades. The success of NIV is correlated to the application of the "best ingredients" of a patient's "tailored recipe," including the appropriate choice of the selected candidate, the ventilator setting, the interface, the expertise of the team, and the education of the caregiver. The choice of the interface is crucial for the success of NIV.