Authors: Christian Richard Jean Louis Teboul
Publish Date: 2005/10/25
Volume: 31, Issue: 12, Pages: 1605-1607
Abstract
The goal in weaning from mechanical ventilation MV is to induce spontaneous breathing SB and ultimately extubation Weaning fails in about 25 of patients meeting weaning criteria and is particularly frequent in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD and/or left heart disease 1 Weaning failure prolongs the duration of MV and increases morbidity and mortality in these critically ill patients 2 Thus early identification and treatment of the causes of weaning failure is of paramount importance to improve outcome in difficulttowean patientsAlthough the most frequent cause of weaning failure is respiratory system failure a possible consequence of the transfer from MV to SB can be acute myocardial ischemia or acute heart dysfunction or failure particularly in patients with prior coronary artery disease or chronic heart disease 3 4 Recognition of the cardiac origin of weaning failure is crucial since the use of vasodilators and/or diuretics may result
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