The COVID-19 global pandemic dramatically increased our institution's tracheostomy census. Comparing our existing protocols with American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) January 2021 clinical practice guideline (CPG) relevant to caring for adult patients with tracheostomy in the acute care setting revealed numerous opportunities for improving our care of those patients. We assembled an interdisciplinary tracheostomy team to implement AARC CPG recommendations and manage all patients with tracheostomy in our hospital.

COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, led to a pandemic of acute respiratory illness that is ongoing. High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is a commonly used form of respiratory support during acute respiratory distress and is used to treat patients with COVID-19 in many centers. Due to the novel nature of COVID-19 at the onset of the pandemic, evidence to support the use and best practices of HFNC for treating patients with COVID-19 was lacking. This is a review of key peer-reviewed manuscripts from 2022-2023 discussing the efficacy and best practices for using HFNC for patients with COVID-19. Efficacy of HFNC for COVID-19, the use of the respiratory oxygenation index to guide HFNC for COVID-19, and concerns of generated/fugitive aerosols when using HFNC for COVID-19 are emphasized.

Respiratory care departments are experiencing an increased need to demonstrate value in the care they deliver. Value efficiency is a concept that incorporates the value of individual treatments into the normal operations of a department. The purpose of this study was to describe respiratory care leaders' attitudes about the value of services provided by respiratory care departments.

EzPAP Positive Airway Pressure System (EzPAP) is a noninvasive positive expiratory pressure (PEP) device designed to promote lung expansion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of PEP on gas exchange. Secondary objectives included assessing the early effects of PEP on radiological atelectasis score (RAS), hemodynamics, and dyspnea. These outcomes were compared between spontaneously breathing subjects with and without tracheostomy.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) detrimentally impacts individuals' exercise capacity and respiratory parameters depending on sensory, motor, and autonomic dysfunctions. Regular physical activity (PA) positively impacts cardiovascular health and pulmonary function in these individuals. This study determined the relationship between PA and exercise capacity and respiratory parameters in individuals with SCI.

COPD and asthma are two of the most common chronic lung diseases, affecting over 545 million people globally and 34 million in the United States. Annual health care costs related to chronic lung disease are estimated at €380 billion in the European Union, and $24-$50 billion in the United States averaging to $4,000 in out-of-pocket costs per person in the U.S. A full-text literature search was conducted for English publications between January 1, 2005-March 18, 2024. It returned over 5,000 publications that were further narrowed using key search words, resulting in 172 peer-reviewed articles. Using their experience and subject expertise, the authors further narrowed the peer-reviewed articles to 55 that were in their opinion relevant. Also, 38 recently published industry reports and news articles specific to downstream effects of inhaler market changes and the future impact were included. The literature suggests that individuals with chronic lung disease face increased challenges with access to inhaled medication due to rising medication costs, discontinuation of branded medications, introduction of generic medications not covered by insurance, exclusionary preferred drug list tactics that force health care providers into non-medical switching of medication or devices, and ongoing medication shortages. Providers experience ongoing hurdles in prescribing appropriate inhaled medications for individuals with chronic lung disease, including increased time and costs spent on administrative tasks due to inhaler denials, a loss of patient trust, and limits on their ability to prescribe appropriate inhaled medication for individuals with chronic lung disease.

The understanding of how pharyngeal pressure is transmitted to the trachea with high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) implementation and the behavior of tracheal pressure in the presence of mouth leaks remains limited. This study aimed to assess the impact of HFNC administration on tracheal pressure by comparing measurements taken with open and closed mouth with varying flows.

The new Global definition of ARDS recently introduced a subgroup known as non-intubated ARDS. This study aimed to assess the risk of progression from noninvasive oxygen support to intubation and ARDS severity based on the S /F among non-intubated subjects with ARDS.

Identifying persons with COPD at high risk for hospital readmission provides opportunities for efficient and appropriate care to lower readmission risk. This study examined 30-d and 60-d hospital readmission prediction of the COPD-readmission (CORE) score and a newly developed CORE+ score. The relationship between CORE and CORE+ scores and ICU admission, endotracheal intubation, and in-hospital noninvasive ventilation (NIV) use was explored.

Assessing respiratory mechanics in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure who are not intubated could provide useful information about illness trajectory. Oscillometry is a respiratory function test used to measure total respiratory impedance during tidal breathing, which reveals resistive and elastic properties of the lung. This study assessed the feasibility of oscillometry in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure and described their respiratory mechanics.

Transnasal fiberoptic laryngoscopy (TFL) has revealed that laryngeal obstruction can hamper assisted ventilation. TFL may be considered invasive, and laryngeal ultrasound (US) could be a noninvasive alternative. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using laryngeal US to study laryngeal movements in healthy adult volunteers undergoing noninvasive ventilation (NIV) and to compare the observations with those of simultaneous TFL.

Lung-protective ventilation is a standard intervention for mitigating ventilator-induced lung injury in patients with ARDS. Despite its efficacy, adherence to contemporary evidence-based guidelines remains suboptimal. We aimed to identify factors that affect the adherence of staff to applying lung-protective ventilation guidelines by analyzing real-time, continuously monitored ventilation data over a 5-year longitudinal period.

Intraoperative bronchospasm in pediatric patients supported through laryngeal mask airways (LMAs) is commonly treated with pressurized metered-dose inhaler (pMDI) albuterol. The aim of the study was to evaluate delivery of pMDI albuterol through LMAs under different conditions in a model of infant/child supported with a ventilator.

Mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MI-E) is crucial to assist patients with impaired cough, especially those with neuromuscular diseases. Despite recent advancements that enable real-time display of peak expiratory flow (PEF) and inspiratory volume, accurately monitoring these parameters with MI-E devices during treatment can still present challenges.