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Nicotinamide treatment reduces behavioral impairments and provides cortical protection after fluid percussion injury in the rat.

This study examined the ability of nicotinamide (vitamin B3) to improve functional outcome in a dose-dependent manner following fluid percussion injury (FPI). Injured (duration of unconsciousness mean = 85.8 sec; apnea = 9.9 sec), rats were administered nicotinamide (500 or 50 mg/kg; ip) or saline at 15 min and 24 h. Serum analysis of nicotinamide concentrations were conducted 1 h following the last injection. Sensorimotor and cognitive tests were conducted for 35 days following FPI. Both the 500 and 50 mg/kg doses of nicotinamide significantly facilitated recovery on the vibrissae-forelimb placing test compared to saline treatment, which showed chronic impairments. Both treatments also significantly improved performance on the bilateral tactile adhesive removal test. On the cognitive tests, the 500 mg/kg dose, but not the 50 mg/kg dose, improved performance on a working memory task in the Morris water maze (MWM). However, acquisition of a reference memory task in the MWM was not improved. Serum analysis showed that the 500 mg/kg dose significantly raised nicotinamide concentrations by 30-fold and the 50 mg/kg dose by 3-fold compared to the saline administration. This study demonstrated that raising nicotinamide concentrations resulted in the reduction of the behavioral impairments following FPI. In fact, the 500 mg/kg dose prevented the occurrence of the behavioral deficits on the bilateral tactile removal and working memory tests. Both doses significantly reduced tissue loss and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) expression in the cortex. The 500 mg/kg dose reduced GFAP expression in the hippocampus. This data suggests that nicotinamide has substantial preclinical efficacy for TBI, and there appears to be some differences in the ability of the doses to improve performance in the MWM.

Animals↗

Recovery of function after vagus nerve stimulation initiated 24 hours after fluid percussion brain injury.

Recent evidence from our laboratory demonstrated in laboratory rats that stimulation of the vagus nerve (VNS) initiated 2 h after lateral fluid percussion brain injury (FPI) accelerates the rate of recovery on a variety of behavioral and cognitive tests. VNS animals exhibited a level of performance comparable to that of sham-operated uninjured animals by the end of a 2-week testing period. The effectiveness of VNS was further evaluated in the present study in which initiation of stimulation was delayed until 24 h post-injury. Rats were subjected to a moderate FPI and tested on the beam walk, skilled forelimb reaching, locomotor placing, forelimb flexion and Morris water maze tasks for 2 weeks following injury. VNS (30 sec trains of 0.5 mA, 20.0-Hz biphasic pulses) was initiated 24 h post-injury and continued at 30-min intervals for the duration of the study, except for brief periods when the animals were detached for behavioral assessments. Consistent with our previous findings when stimulation was initiated 2 h post-injury, VNS animals showed significantly faster rates of recovery compared to controls. By the last day of testing (day 14 post-injury), the FPI-VNS animals were performing significantly better than the FPI-no-VNS animals and were not significantly different from shams in all motor and sensorimotor tasks. Performance in the Morris water maze indicated that the VNS animals acquired the task more rapidly on days 11-13 post-injury. On day 14, the FPI-VNS animals did not differ in the latency to find the platform from sham controls, whereas the injured controls did; however, the FPI-VNS animals and injured controls were not significantly different. Despite the lack of significant histological differences between the FPI groups, VNS, when initiated 24 h following injury, clearly attenuated the ensuing behavioral deficits and enhanced acquisition of the cognitive task. The results are discussed with respect to the norepinephrine hypothesis.

Animals↗

High-frequency percussive ventilation during surgical bronchial repair in a patient with one lung.

We report the case of a patient that had undergone a left pneumonectomy during which a double-lumen tube was used and an undetected right bronchial laceration occurred. After diagnosis the patient underwent a second operation to repair the tear. The role of high-frequency percussive ventilation in enabling adequate gas exchange during the bronchial repair is described and discussed.

Bronchi↗

Post-traumatic epilepsy following fluid percussion injury in the rat.

The lack of an adequate model of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE), in which, similarly to the human condition, chronic spontaneous focal seizures follow a single episode of traumatic brain injury, has hampered the identification of clinically relevant epileptogenic mechanisms and the development of effective therapies. We studied the electrophysiological, behavioural and structural consequences of a clinically relevant model of closed head injury, the lateral fluid percussion injury (FPI), in the rat. We found that a single episode of severe FPI is sufficient to cause PTE. Chronic electrocorticography (ECoG) demonstrated spontaneous chronic seizures that were partial, originated from the neocortex at the site of injury, and progressively worsened and spread over time. The cases of epilepsy in the post-traumatic population increased over time following injury. Post-FPI epileptic rats exhibited pauses in their behaviour, facial automatisms and myoclonus at the time of epileptiform ECoG events. In vitro local field potential recordings demonstrated persistent hyperexcitability of the neocortex at and around the site of injury that was associated with intense glial reactivity. These results for the first time demonstrate persistent hyperexcitability of the injured neocortex and define a useful model for pathophysiological studies of basic mechanisms of spontaneous epileptogenesis and for preclinical screening of effective antiepileptogenic drugs.

Animals↗

Progression from frontal-parietal to mesial-temporal epilepsy after fluid percussion injury in the rat.

We recently described an in vivo model of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) in the rat where chronic spontaneous recurrent seizures appear following a single episode of fluid percussion injury (FPI). PTE, studied during the first 2 months post-injury, was focal and seizures originated predominantly from the frontal-parietal neocortex at or around the injury site. However, rarer bilateral seizures originating from a different and undefined focus were also observed. To shed light on the Posttraumatic Epileptogenic mechanisms and on the generation of bilateral seizures, we studied rats up to 7 months post-injury. In vivo paired epidural and depth-electrode recordings indicated that the anterior hippocampus evolves into an epileptic focus which initiates bilateral seizures. The rate of frontal-parietal seizures remained constant over time after 2 weeks post-injury, while the rate of hippocampal seizures greatly increased over time, suggesting that different mechanisms mediate neocortical and hippocampal post-traumatic epileptogenesis. Because of different temporal evolution of these foci, the epileptic syndrome was characterized by predominant frontal-parietal seizures early after injury, but by predominant mesio-temporal seizures at later time points. Pathological analysis demonstrated progressive hippocampal and temporal cortex pathology that paralleled the increase in frequency and duration of bilateral seizures. These results demonstrate that FPI-induced frontal-parietal epilepsy (FPE) progresses to mesial-temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) with dual pathology. These observations establish numerous similarities between FPI-induced and human PTE and further validate it as a clinically relevant model of PTE.

Animals↗

Immunohistochemical indicators of early brain injury: an experimental study using the fluid-percussion model in cats.

To detect early changes in neurons and astrocytes by immunohistochemical methods using antibodies against the neuron-specific enolase (NSE), neurofilament, glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), and S-100 protein, a fluid-percussion injury model in cats was chosen, in which a severe grade of injury (3.5-5.5 atm) was produced. Neuropathologic changes were produced through brain deformation by pressure gradients at the time of injury. The neuronal NSE immunoreactivity in the parietal cortex and the brain stem began to decrease at 1 to 2 hours after injury and were reduced markedly or even lost 4 hours after injury. Axons in the cerebral white matter and corpus callosum and in the hemorrhage regions at the brain stem were waved and enlarged <4 hours after injury. From 4 hours after injury, retraction balls were found after staining by antibody for the neurofilament. The GFAP-positive astrocytes appeared in the impact site in the parietal cortex and in the brain stem from 4 hours after injury, whereas S-100-positive astrocytes were not markedly changed, indicating that early after the injury, astrocytes manifested reactive hypertrophy without proliferation. These results suggest that immunochemical studies on NSE, neurofilament, GFAP, and S-100 are useful in pathologic and forensic practice in a patient who survives for a short time after a fatal head injury but without obvious focal damage.

Animals↗

Influence of mannitol and furosemide, alone and in combination, on brain water content after fluid percussion injury.

BACKGROUND: Furosemide and mannitol are used to reduce intracranial pressure, but the impact of furosemide on edema of injured brain is unclear. The authors examined the effects of furosemide and mannitol, alone and in combination, on brain water content in brain-injured rats. METHODS: Anesthetized rats were subjected to a 2.2-atm left hemispheric fluid percussion injury. Two and three-quarters hours later, animals received 0.5, 1, 4, or 8 g/kg mannitol; 8 mg/kg furosemide; a combination of 4 g/kg mannitol plus 4 mg/kg furosemide; or 8 g/kg mannitol plus 8 mg/kg furosemide. One hour later (4 h after injury), plasma osmolality was measured, and hemispheric water content was determined by drying. Other animals were subjected to injury without drug treatment (impact only) or did not undergo injury (control). Pairwise group comparisons regarding the effects of mannitol and furosemide were restricted to only four groups: impact only, 8 g/kg mannitol, 8 mg/kg furosemide, and 8 g/kg mannitol plus 8 mg/kg furosemide. RESULTS: The water content of both hemispheres in the impact-only group was greater than in the control group (left greater than right). Mannitol, 8 g/kg, increased osmolality from 306 +/- 4 to 351 +/- 6 mOsm/kg (mean +/- SD) and reduced water content in the left hemisphere from 80.06 +/- 0.84% (impact only) to 78.24 +/- 0.73%. Furosemide, 8 mg/kg, had no effect on osmolality or water content. Brain water in animals treated with 8 g/kg mannitol plus 8 mg/kg furosemide did not differ from that seen with 8 g/kg mannitol alone. CONCLUSIONS: Mannitol increased plasma osmolality and reduced water content of the injured and contralateral hemispheres, whereas the authors observed no effect of furosemide when given either alone or in combination with mannitol.

Animals↗

Emergence of immunoreactivities for phosphorylated tau and amyloid-beta protein in chronic stage of fluid percussion injury in rat brain.

Head injury is one of the potential environmental factors in Alzheimer's disease (AD). To study the chronic stage of concussive brain injury, histological analyses were performed 2-6 months after right lateral fluid percussion (FP) brain injury (3.6-4.8 atm) in rats. Six months after injury, numerous normal-looking neurons in the telencephalon and brain stem were immunoreactive with either antibody to phosphorylated tau or with four antibodies to beta-amyloid protein. Neuronal counts in the cortices were gradually decreased after injury, up to 42% loss at 6 months after injury. These neuropathological changes suggest that this animal model could serve as a good animal model of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.

Amyloid beta-Peptides↗

High-frequency percussive ventilation compared with conventional mechanical ventilation.

In seven patients with severe respiratory distress, conventional mechanical ventilation and PEEP were used initially for respiratory support, which was changed to high-frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) at the same level of airway pressure and FIO2. During both modes of ventilation, patients could breathe spontaneously via a low-threshold demand valve. With HFPV, PaO2 improved significantly (p less than .01) compared with PaO2 during conventional methods. Cardiac output was unaffected by the change to HFPV.

Carbon Dioxide↗

High frequency percussive ventilation in pediatric patients with inhalation injury.

The objective of this study was to present data that showed high frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) was superior to traditional mechanical ventilation for the treatment of children with inhalation injuries. Inhalation injuries continue to be the number one cause of death of patients with thermal injuries in the United States. Therapy for this condition has consisted of conservative pulmonary toilet and mechanical ventilation. Despite improvements in the management of burn injury, patients with inhalation injury develop pneumonia and pneumothorax, leading to adult respiratory distress syndrome. Unfortunately, inhalation injury that is complicated by pneumonia has been shown to increase mortality by 60% in these patients. Cioffi has shown that prophylactic use of HFPV in adult patients with inhalation injury has been a successful method of reducing the incidence of pneumonia and mortality. The effects of HFPV on the incidence of pneumonia, peak inspiratory pressures, and arterial partial pressure of oxygen/fraction of inspired concentration of oxygen (P/F) ratios were retrospectively studied in 13 children with inhalation injuries and compared with historic controls treated with conventional mechanical ventilation. All patients were treated with our standard inhalation injury protocol and extubated when they met standard extubation criteria. Patients ranged in age from 6 to 9 years, and most had burns covering greater than 50% of their total body surface areas. No deaths occurred in either group, but the patients who were treated with HFPV had no cases of pneumonia (P < .05), better P/F ratios (P < .05), lower peak inspiratory pressures, and less work of breathing (P < .05) as compared with our control group. On the basis of our clinical experience and data, the use of HFPV seems to be an effective treatment for the reduction of pulmonary morbidity in pediatric patients with inhalation injuries.

Case-Control Studies↗

Widespread hemodynamic depression and focal platelet accumulation after fluid percussion brain injury: a double-label autoradiographic study in rats.

Cerebrovascular damage leading to subsequent reductions in local cerebral blood flow (lCBF) may represent an important secondary injury mechanism following traumatic brain injury (TBI). We determined whether patterns of 111-indium-labeled platelet accumulation were spatially related to alterations in lCBF determined autoradiographically 30 min after TBI. Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 8), anesthetized with halothane and maintained on a 70:30 (vol/vol) mixture of nitrous oxide/oxygen and 0.5% halothane, underwent parasagittal fluid percussion brain injury (1.7-2.2 atm). 111-Indium-tropolone-labeled platelets were injected 30 min prior to TBI while [14C]-iodoantipyrine was infused 30 min after trauma. Sham-operated animals (n = 7) underwent similar surgical procedures but were not injured. In autoradiographic images of the indium-labeled platelets, focal sites of platelet accumulation within the traumatized hemisphere were restricted to the pial surface (five of eight rats), the external capsule underlying the lateral parietal cortex (five of eight rats), and within cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) compartments (six of eight rats). In contrast, mild-to-moderate reductions in lCBF, not restricted to sites of platelet accumulation, were seen throughout the traumatized hemisphere. Flow reductions were most severe in coronal sections underlying the impact site. For example, within the lateral parietal cortex and hippocampus, lCBF was significantly reduced [p <0.01; analysis of variance (ANOVA)] from 1.71 +/- 0.34 (mean +/- SD) and 0.78 +/- 0.12 ml/g/min, respectively, versus 0.72 +/- 0.17 and 0.41 +/- 0.06 ml/g/min within the traumatized hemisphere. Significant flow reductions were also seen in remote cortical and subcortical areas, including the right frontal cortex and striatum. These results indicate that focal platelet accumulation and widespread hemodynamic depression are both early consequences of TBI. Therapeutic strategies directed at these early microvascular consequences of TBI may be neuroprotective by attenuating secondary ischemic processes.

Animals↗

Importance of posttraumatic hypothermia and hyperthermia on the inflammatory response after fluid percussion brain injury: biochemical and immunocytochemical studies.

The purpose of this study was to investigate: 1) the temporal and regional profile of polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) infiltration after moderate traumatic brain injury using the parasagittal fluid percussion model and 2) the effects of posttraumatic hypothermia (30 degrees C) and hyperthermia (39 degrees C) on the acute and subacute inflammatory response. We hypothesized that posttraumatic hypothermia would reduce the degree of PMNL accumulation whereas hyperthermia would exacerbate this response to injury. In the first series of experiments we quantitated the temporal profile of altered myeloperoxidase activity under normothermic (37 degrees C) conditions (n = 20). The rats were allowed to survive for 3 hours, 24 hours, 3 days, or 7 days after trauma, and brains were dissected into cortical and subcortical regions ipsilateral and contralateral to injury. Additional animals were perfused and fixed for the immunocytochemical visualization of myeloperoxidase (n = 15). In the second series of experiments, rats (n = 25) were killed 3 hours or 3 days after the 3-hour monitoring period of normothermia (36.5 degrees C), hypothermia (30 degrees C), or hyperthermia (39 degrees C) (n = 4 to 5 per group), and myeloperoxidase activity was again quantitated. In normothermic rats, the enzymatic activity of myeloperoxidase was significantly increased (P < 0.05) at 3 hours within the anterior cortical segment (213.97 +/- 56.2 versus control 65.5 +/- 52.3 U/g of wet tissue; mean +/- SD) and posterior (injured) cortical and subcortical segments compared to sham-operated rats (305.76 +/- 27.8 and 258.67 +/- 101.4 U/g of wet tissue versus control 62.8 +/- 24.8 and 37.28 +/- 35.6 U/g of wet tissue; P < 0.0001, P < 0.05, respectively). At 24 hours and 7-days after trauma only the posterior cortical region (P < 0.005, P < 0.05, respectively) exhibited increased myeloperoxidase activity. However, 3 days after trauma, myeloperoxidase activity was also significantly increased within the anterior cortical segment (P < 0.05) and in posterior cortical and subcortical regions compared to sham-operated cortex (P < 0.0001, P < 0.05, respectively). Immunocytochemical analysis of myeloperoxidase reactivity at 3 hours, 24 hours, 3- and 7-days demonstrated large numbers of immunoreactive leukocytes within and associated with blood vessels, damaged tissues, and subarachnoid spaces. Posttraumatic hypothermia and hyperthermia had significant effects on myeloperoxidase activity at both 3 hours and 3 days after traumatic brain injury. Posttraumatic hypothermia reduced myeloperoxidase activity in the injured and noninjured cortical and subcortical segments compared to normothermic values (P < 0.05). In contrast, posttraumatic hyperthermia significantly elevated myeloperoxidase activity in the posterior cortical region compared to normothermic values at both 3 hours and 3 days (473.5 +/- 258.4 and 100.11 +/- 27.58 U/g of wet tissue, respectively, P < 0.05 versus controls). These results indicate that posttraumatic hypothermia decreases early and more prolonged myeloperoxidase activation whereas hyperthermia increases myeloperoxidase activity. Temperature-dependent alterations in PMNL accumulation appear to be a potential mechanism by which posttraumatic temperature manipulations may influence traumatic outcome.

Animals↗

High-frequency percussive ventilation in the management of elevated intracranial pressure.

We evaluated 38 patients with combined head injury and respiratory failure requiring manipulation of mean airway pressure in order to achieve satisfactory oxygenation. All patients were initially maintained on conventional ventilatory support. When entry criteria were met, patients were transitioned to high-frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) and cardiorespiratory variables were measured. HFPV resulted in a statistically significant decrease in intracranial pressures in patients when ICP remained greater than 15 mm Hg in spite of optimum medical management. Satisfactory oxygenation was obtained at approximately half the level of CPAP and peak inspiratory pressure as that on conventional ventilation. Thus HFPV provides an acceptable alternative method of ventilatory support in patients with combined head injury and respiratory failure.

Adult↗

High-frequency percussive ventilation in patients with inhalation injury.

Inhalation injury complicated by bacterial pneumonia is now one of the primary causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with thermal injury. We have investigated the use of high-frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) as a means of ventilatory support for these patients. We propose that high-frequency ventilation may decrease the incidence of pulmonary infection following inhalation injury and decrease the incidence of iatrogenic barotrauma caused by conventional ventilation. High-frequency ventilation was instituted initially as salvage therapy in a group of five patients. In each case, normocapnia or arterial pO2 saturation of greater than 90% on a FIO2 of 60% or less was achieved with high-frequency ventilation but not with conventional ventilation. A second group of ten patients was prospectively entered into a study on the use of HFPV in patients with inhalation injury. One patient was removed from the study, and one patient was unable to be ventilated because of severely noncompliant lungs. Eight patients with a mean age of 29 years and a mean burn size of 38% of the total body surface completed the protocol. All patients survived, two developed pneumonia, and one developed subcutaneous emphysema. These results suggest that HFPV is effective in the treatment of patients with severe inhalation injury.

Adult↗

Delayed posttraumatic brain hyperthermia worsens outcome after fluid percussion brain injury: a light and electron microscopic study in rats.

The morphological consequences of delayed posttraumatic brain hyperthermia (39 degrees C) after fluid percussion brain injury were assessed in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats anesthetized with 4% halothane and maintained on a 70:30 mixture of nitrous oxide:oxygen and 0.5% halothane underwent moderate (1.5-2.0 atm) traumatic brain injury with the injury screw positioned parasagittally over the right parieto-occipital cortex. At 24 hours after traumatic brain injury, the rats were reanesthetized and randomized into two groups in which either a 3-hour period of brain normothermia (36.5 degrees C, n = 18) or hyperthermia (39 degrees C, n = 18) was maintained. Sham-operated controls (n = 10) underwent all surgical and temperature-monitoring procedures. After the 3-hour monitoring period, the rats were allowed to survive for 3 days for light microscopic analysis or were injected with the protein tracer horseradish peroxidase and were perfusion-fixed 15 minutes later for light and electron microscopic analysis. At 4 days after traumatic brain injury, delayed posttraumatic hyperthermia (n = 12) significantly increased mortality (47%) and contusion volume (1.7 +/- 0.69 mm3, mean +/- standard error of the mean), compared to normothermia (n = 12) (18% mortality and 0.13 +/- 0.21 mm3 contusion volume) (P < 0.01, analysis of variance). At 15 minutes after the 3-hour hyperthermic period, the area of hemorrhage and horseradish peroxidase extravasation overlying the lateral external capsule was significantly increased (2.52 +/- 0.71 mm2, mean +/- standard error of the mean, versus 0.43 +/- 0.16 mm2) (P < 0.01), compared to normothermic rats. Examination of toluidine blue-stained plastic sections demonstrated a higher frequency of abnormally swollen myelinated axons per high microscopic field with hyperthermia. For example, numbers of swollen axons within the sixth layer of the right somatosensory cortex, corpus callosum, and internal capsule were 7.3 +/- 1.3, 4.2 +/- 1.4, and 3.0 +/- 1.2 axons (mean +/- standard error of the mean) with normothermia, respectively, compared with 24.7 +/- 12.1, 33.1 +/- 4.2, and 27.3 +/- 3.1 axons with hyperthermia, respectively (P < 0.01). An ultrastructural examination of the swollen axons demonstrated a severely thinned myelin sheath containing axoplasm devoid of cytoskeletal components. These experimental results indicate that posttraumatic brain hyperthermia might increase morbidity and mortality in patients with head injury by aggravating axonal and microvascular damage.

Animals↗

Early treatment with a novel inhibitor of lipid peroxidation (LY341122) improves histopathological outcome after moderate fluid percussion brain injury in rats.

OBJECTIVE: Reactive oxygen species are thought to participate in the pathobiology of traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study determined whether treatment with LY341122, a potent inhibitor of lipid peroxidation and an antioxidant, would provide neuroprotection in a rat model of TBI. METHODS: To investigate the efficacy of LY341122 in this parasagittal fluid percussion model (1.8-2.1 atm), the rats received oral administration of LY341122 (100 mg/kg) or vehicle 2 hours before and 4 hours after TBI (each group, n = 7). To investigate the therapeutic window for treatment, rats were treated with LY341122 or vehicle for 20 hours by femoral vein infusion starting at 5 minutes, 30 minutes, or 3 hours after TBI (each group, n = 5). Three days after injury, analysis of contusion volumes and the frequency of damaged cortical neurons was conducted. RESULTS: Oral administration of LY341122 before and after TBI led to a significant reduction in overall contusion volume (3.28 mm3+/-0.75 mm3 [mean +/- standard error of the mean] versus 1.32 mm3 +/- 0.33 mm3; P < 0.05) and also reduced the frequency of damaged cortical neurons (1191.7 +/- 267.1 versus 474.6 +/- 80.2; P < 0.05). In the second experiment, rats treated with LY341122 at 5 minutes or 30 minutes after TBI also demonstrated a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in contusion volume (1.92 mm3 +/- 0.64 mm3 or 1.59 mm3 +/- 0.50 mm3, respectively) compared with vehicle-treated rats (4.32 mm3 +/- 1.15 mm3). A significant reduction in total cortical necrotic neuron counts was also demonstrated in the 5-minute group (2243.8 +/- 265.3 versus 1457.8 +/- 265.3; P < 0.05). In contrast, histopathological outcome was not significantly improved when treatment was delayed until 3 hours after TBI. CONCLUSION: These data reinforce the hypothesis that lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species participate in the acute pathogenesis of TBI. Treatment delayed until 3 hours after TBI did not provide significant histopathological protection.

Administration, Oral↗

Intrapulmonary percussive ventilation improves the outcome of patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using a helmet.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of intrapulmonary percussive ventilation (IPV) by mouthpiece during noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation with helmet in patients with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. SETTING: General intensive care unit, university hospital. PATIENTS: Forty patients with exacerbation of COPD ventilated with noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation by helmet were randomized to two different mucus clearance strategies: IPV (IPV group) vs. respiratory physiotherapy (Phys group). As historical control group, 40 patients receiving noninvasive positive pressure and ventilated by face mask treated with respiratory physiotherapy were studied. INTERVENTIONS: Two daily sessions of IPV (IPV group) or conventional respiratory physiotherapy (Phys group). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Physiologic variables were measured at entry in the intensive care unit, before and after the first session of IPV, and at discharge from the intensive care unit. Outcome variables (need for intubation, ventilatory assistance, length of intensive care unit stay, and complications) were also measured. All physiologic variables improved after IPV. At discharge from the intensive care unit, Paco2 was lower in the IPV group compared with the Phys and control groups (mean +/- sd, 58 +/- 5.4 vs. 64 +/- 5.2 mm Hg, 67.4 +/- 4.2 mm Hg, p < .01). Pao2/Fio2 was higher in IPV (274 +/- 15) than the other groups (Phys, 218 +/- 34; control, 237 +/- 20; p < .01). In the IPV group, time of noninvasive ventilation (hrs) (median, 25th-75th percentile: 61, 60-71) and length of stay in the intensive care unit (days) (7, 6-8) were lower than other groups (Phys, 89, 82-96; control, 87, 75-91; p < .01; and Phys, 9, 8-9; control, 10, 9-11; p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: IPV treatment was feasible for all patients. Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation by helmet associated with IPV reduces the duration of ventilatory treatment and intensive care unit stay and improves gas exchange at discharge from intensive care unit in patients with severe exacerbation of COPD.

Acute Disease↗