Acute Respiratory Failure And ­Mechanical Ventilation

Abstract

Patients with acute respiratory failure present to the emergency department (ED) on a regular basis, and emergency physicians (EPs) are expected to be skilled in endotracheal intubation. Historically, although a significant portion of emergency medicine residency training focuses on airway management, extended management of the ventilated patient has received relatively short shrift. Recent data indicate that not only is endotracheal intubation one of the most commonly performed ED procedures, but also that in the initial hours of care, it is also often the EP rather than the intensivist who provides the bulk of critical care to the patient. It is therefore critical that EPs are skilled in ongoing management of the ventilated patient in the early hours as inappropriate management of the ventilator or sedation/analgesia can have a significant impact on complications such as ventilator-induced lung injury, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), ventilator weaning, and delirium. This review outlines basic strategies for the physiologic management of respiratory failure patients to reduce periintubation complications and discuss ventilation strategies, appropriate use of analgesia/sedation, and prevention of secondary complications such as VAP and delirium. Basic troubleshooting of common ventilator problems is also reviewed. Although it is not expected that the EP will replace the intensivist, the goal of this review is to optimize patient management early in the ED stay, to facilitate the transition between the ED and the intensive care unit, and to reduce preventable complications by optimizing the care of ventilated patients in the ED. This review contains 9 figures, 4 tables and 46 references Key words: acute respiratory distress syndrome, analgesia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, delirium, hypercapnia, hyperventilation, hypoxia, patient-ventilator dyssynchrony, pulmonary edema, respiratory failure, sedation, ventilator-associated pneumonia