BACKGROUND Whether the myocardium in nonischemic heart failure experiences oxygen limitation remains a long-standing controversy. We addressed this question in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) using a dual approach. First, we tested the changes in myocardial oxygenation between rest and stress states, using oxygenation-sensitive cardiovascular magnetic resonance. Second, we sought to ...

BACKGROUND Brain tissue partial oxygen pressure (Pbt(O(2))) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) are novel methods to evaluate cerebral oxygenation. We studied the response patterns of Pbt(O(2)), NIRS, and cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) to changes in arterial pressure (AP) and intracranial pressure (ICP). METHODS Digital recordings of multimodal brain monitoring from 42 head-injured pat...

Increases in positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) improve arterial oxygenation in preterm infants, but the effects on cardiopulmonary hemodynamics are understood poorly. We aimed to determine the effect of increased PEEP on cardiopulmonary hemodynamics and to compare measurements from indwelling flow probes with Doppler echocardiography. Preterm lambs (129 +/- 1 days) were ventilated initial...

Background: Because of airway stimulations during the bronchoscopy and lack of direct access to the airway, preferred method of anesthesia for rigid bronchoscopy is already controversial. In this study we compared inhalation anesthesia with total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) for rigid bronchoscopy. Method and Materials: 30 patients aged 2-6 years were chosen divided on two same groups. Anesthe...

Background: Trauma and surgery may be complicated by pulmonary dysfunction, acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but the mechanisms are incompletely understood. Methods: We evaluated lung capillary protein permeability non-invasively with help of the 67Gatransferrin pulmonary leak index (PLI) technique and extravascular lung water (EVLW) by the transpulmonary ...

INTRODUCTION Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) is a relatively new category of pneumonia. It refers to infections that occur prior to hospital admission in patients with specific risk factors following contact or exposure to a healthcare environment. There is currently no scoring index to predict the outcomes of HCAP patients. We applied and compared different community acquired pneumonia ...

BACKGROUND Animal experiments showed that recruitment maneuver (RM) and protective ventilation strategy of the lung could improve oxygenation and reduce extravascular lung water. This study was to investigate the effects of RM on respiratory mechanics and extravascular lung water index (EVLWI) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). METHODS Thirty patients with ARDS were ...