Cardiopulmonary Telerehabilitation.

Cardiopulmonary telerehabilitation is a safe and effective alternative to traditional center-based rehabilitation. It offers a sustainable solution to more conveniently meet the needs of patients with acute or chronic, preexisting or newly acquired, cardiopulmonary diseases. To maximize success, programs should prioritize basic, safe, and timely care options over comprehensive or complex approaches. The future should incorporate new strategies learned during a global pandemic and harness the power of information and communication technology to provide evidence-based patient-centered care. This review highlights clinical considerations, current evidence, recommendations, and future directions of cardiopulmonary telerehabilitation.

Monitoring Cough Effectiveness and Use of Airway Clearance Strategies: A Canadian and UK Survey.

BACKGROUND: Regular monitoring combined with early and appropriate use of airway clearance can reduce unplanned hospital admissions for patients with neuromuscular disease (NMD) and spinal cord injury (SCI). We aimed to describe and compare knowledge of guidelines, monitoring of cough effectiveness, clinician prescription/provision of airway clearance strategies, and service provision constraints in the United Kingdom and Canada. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey of clinicians affiliated with NMD and SCI clinics in Canada, 2016 attendees at the Home Mechanical Ventilation Conference in the United Kingdom, and United Kingdom physiotherapist networks. RESULTS: We received 155 surveys (92 from Canada; 63 from the United Kingdom). More UK respondents (76%) were aware of airway clearance guidelines than Canadian (56%) respondents (P = .02). Routine assessment of cough effectiveness was reported by more UK respondents (59%) than Canadian (42%) respondents (P = .044). Cough peak flow (CPF) was the most common method used in both countries, although it was more commonly used in the UK (96%) than in Canada (81%, P = .02). Fewer Canadian respondents reported using CPF before initiation of airway clearance (81% vs 94%, P = .046), and fewer Canadian respondents showed results to patients for technique feedback (76% vs 97%, P = .007). Similar participant numbers reported using CPF after initiation to ensure adequate technique (73% vs 72%, P = .92). Mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MI-E) + lung volume recruitment (LVR) + manually assisted cough when CPF ≤ 270 L/min was most routinely recommended (41% overall). Monotherapy was infrequent (LVR 15%, manually assisted cough 7%, and MI-E 4%). More Canadians identified constraints on service provision, specifically insufficient public funding for equipment (68% vs 39%, P = .002) and inadequate community workers' knowledge (56% vs 34%, P = .002). Funding for community support was a common constraint in both countries (49% vs 42%). CONCLUSIONS: The somewhat variable cough effectiveness monitoring and airway clearance practices identified in this survey confirm the need for further work on knowledge translation related to guideline recommendations and the need to address common constraints to optimal service delivery.

Utilizing Respiratory Therapists to Reduce Costs of Care.

INTRODUCTION: Changes to the reimbursement of respiratory care services over the past 26 years make it imperative that respiratory therapists (RTs) demonstrate cost savings to establish their value. Therefore, this systematic review evaluated the cost-related impacts from utilizing RTs to deliver care when compared to other care providers. METHODS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were used to guide the search process. The study addressed articles across all age groups and care settings that compared the cost of care provided by RTs to a comparison group. Studies were excluded if they were not written in English, described care provided outside of the United States, did not provide quantitative data, or lacked a comparison group. RESULTS: A total of 4,120 articles emerged from the search process, of which 60 qualified for a full text review. Cost savings were evaluated for the 28 articles included in this review, noting the study design, the specific respiratory care practice, use of protocols, clinical setting, and age group. The most frequently studied topic was mechanical ventilation, which along with disease management represented by the most randomized, controlled trials for the study design. The clinical practice area notably absent was home care. CONCLUSIONS: Although cost comparisons across studies could not be made due to the inconsistent manner in which data were reported, evidence demonstrated that care provided by RTs yielded both direct and indirect cost reductions, which were achieved through protocol utilization, specialized expertise, and autonomous decision making. The care provided was consistent with care provided by other disciplines. It is critical for the respiratory care profession to highlight key clinical practice areas for future research, to establish uniform reporting measures for outcomes, and to foster the development of future respiratory care researchers to affirm the value that respiratory therapists add to patient care.

Evaluating the Value of the Respiratory Therapist: Where Is the Evidence? Focus on the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Experience.

Currently, >20 million people in the United States have asthma, and approximately 15 million adults have been diagnosed with COPD, with approximately the same number not yet having been diagnosed with this condition. Moreover, the overall burden of respiratory diseases is still increasing, in part due to environmental factors, such as air pollution. At the same time, the number of patients requiring hospitalization as well as the number of individuals admitted to ICUs from emergency departments has been on the rise over the last decade. Because of the cost to the health-care system, the burden of respiratory diseases, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions also falls on society; it is paid for with tax dollars, higher health insurance rates, and lost productivity. Respiratory therapists (RTs) are in a unique position to influence health-care delivery in a number of settings that include acutely ill hospitalized patients and those with chronic conditions in ambulatory settings. Clinical studies have demonstrated the value of RTs in specific areas, including the performance of medical procedures, the development and implementation of protocols aimed at weaning patients from mechanical ventilation and providing lung-protective ventilation, optimal delivery of in-patient respiratory treatments, the application of disease management programs for COPD, and as part of rapid response teams. However, due to increasing scrutiny of health-care expenditures and limited resources, there is a growing need to document the impact of health-care providers in terms of clinical outcomes. As a profession, RTs should continue to describe the impact they have on patient outcomes and the value they bring to our health-care system. Promoting such investigative outcomes research, along with enhancing the professional aspects of the field of respiratory care, will ensure that the value of RTs does not go unappreciated.

Estimating the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD exacerbations: reduction of hospital inpatient days during the following year.

AIMS: To study the short- and long-term results of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) given in the Helsinki University Heart and Lung Center and to understand the hospital resources used to treat severe COPD exacerbations in the city of Helsinki. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-eight inactive patients with severe COPD were recruited for a PR course; three of them did not finish the course. The course took 6-8 weeks and included 11-16 supervised exercise sessions. Using electronic medical records, we studied all COPD patients with hospital admission in the city of Helsinki in 2014, including COPD diagnosis, criteria for exacerbation, and potential exclusion/inclusion criteria for PR. RESULTS: Seventy-five of the patients finished the PR course and 92% of those patients showed clinically significant improvement. Their hospital days were reduced by 54% when compared to the year before. At 1 year after the course, 53% of the patients reported that they have continued with regular exercise training. In the city of Helsinki, 437 COPD patients were treated in a hospital due to exacerbation during 2014. On the basis of their electronic medical records, 57% of them would be suitable for PR. According to a rough estimate, 10%-20% hospital days could be saved annually if PR was available to all, assuming that the PR results would be as good as those shown here. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that in a real-world setting, PR is efficient when measured by saved hospital days in severe COPD. Half of the patients could be motivated to continue exercising on their own.

Respiratory distress in term neonates in low-resource settings.

Most neonatal deaths worldwide occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Respiratory distress is an important cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. The epidemiology of respiratory distress among term neonates who constitute the vast majority of births is under reported. The scarcely available data from LMICs suggest an incidence of 1.2% to 7.2% among term live births and greater morbidity compared to that in high-income countries. Pneumonia and meconium aspiration syndrome are the predominant causes among outborn neonates, but next only to transient tachypnea among inborn neonates. Community management of neonatal sepsis/pneumonia using simplified antibiotic regimens when referral is not feasible, implementation of non-invasive ventilation, and innovative low-cost technologies to deliver respiratory therapy are important advances that have taken place in these settings. There is an urgent need to generate data on respiratory morbidities among term neonates so that the limited resources in these settings can be allocated judiciously.

Healthcare burden of obstructive sleep apnea and obesity among asthma hospitalizations: Results from the U.S.-based Nationwide Inpatient Sample.

BACKGROUND: Studies have highlighted the significant comorbidities of both obesity and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among asthma patients in outpatient settings, but such data in the inpatient setting is sparse. METHODS: Using 2009-2011 U.S. Nationwide Inpatient Sample; survey-weighted regression analyses were conducted to address the role of obesity, OSA, and both obesity and OSA on length of stay (LOS), total hospital charges, need for respiratory therapy, and disposition among adults with primary asthma hospitalization (n = 179,789). RESULTS: Males had a higher prevalence of OSA than females (5.23% vs. 3.88%), while females had a higher prevalence of obesity (17.21% vs. 8.95%) and both obesity and OSA (7.11% vs. 6.19%). Increased hospital LOS was associated with presence of obesity (incidence rate ratio [IRR] males = 1.07, IRR females = 1.08), OSA (IRR males = 1.07, IRR females = 1.14), and both obesity and OSA (IRR males = 1.19, IRR females = 1.24). Increased total hospital charges was related to obesity (8.64% for males and 9.61% for females), OSA (15.39% for males and 19.13% for females), and both comorbidities (24.94% for males and 28.50% for females). Presence of OSA alone increased odds of need for respiratory therapy for males (odds ratio [OR] = 2.56) and females (OR = 3.22), as did presence of both comorbidities (OR males = 2.85, OR females = 3.60). Odds of routine disposition was lower among females with both comorbidities (OR = 0.82). CONCLUSION: Compared to obesity alone, OSA and both obesity and OSA are associated with increased health resource utilization and poorer inpatient outcomes. This demonstrates the need for further clinical investigations of early detection of OSA among such at-risk populations.

[Review of reimbursement for instrumental techniques used for assisted coughing and thoracic expansion. A French National Health Authority assessment (HAS)]. / Avis sur le remboursement de techniques instrumentales d'aide à la toux et à la mobilisation thoracique. Une évaluation de la Haute Autorité de santé (HAS).

INTRODUCTION: In France, children with neuromuscular diseases and patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries receive reimbursement for home use of intermittent positive-pressure breathing and mechanical in-exsufflators devices. The aim of the study was to update the indications for reimbursement for these both devices. METHODS: A literature review was conducted with several bibliographic databases using the main keywords: intermittent positive-pressure breathing, mechanical insufflation, mechanically-assisted cough, airway clearance. Nine health professionals were interviewed during two meetings. One health professional was interviewed via a questionnaire. An estimation of the population treated with in-exsufflators or intermittent positive-pressure breathing was undertaken from consumer data available for all beneficiaries of the health insurance system. STATE OF THE ART: The review identified 111 references which included 14 clinical practice guidelines, two systematic reviews and one randomized controlled trial. Some clinical data were available. Clinical practice guidelines were in favor of using intermittent positive-pressure breathing and in-exsufflators in patients with neuromuscular disease and spinal cord injuries. The healthcare professionals emphasized the need to reimburse the patient for home use of intermittent positive-pressure breathing and in-exsufflators. The patient population treated in the identified clinical situations was estimated at 3100 per year. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the low level of evidence and after interviewing healthcare professionals, the Haute Autorité de santé (HAS) recommended reimbursement of the costs of in-exsufflators (assisted coughing) and intermittent positive-pressure breathing (thoracic expansion) devices in adults and children with neurological and neuromuscular disease, including spinal cord injury.

[Theoretical basis and clinical benefits of dry salt inhalation therapy]. / A szárazsó-belégzéssel történo kezelés elméleti alapjai és gyakorlati haszna.

Dry salt inhalation (halotherapy) reproduces the microclimate of salt caves, with beneficial effect on health. Sodium chloride crystals are disrupted into very small particles (with a diameter less than 3 µm), and this powder is artificially exhaled into the air of a comfortable room (its temperature is between 20-22 °C, and the relative humidity is low). The end-concentration of the salt in the air of the room will be between 10-30 mg/m(3). The sick (or healthy) persons spend 30-60 minutes in this room, usually 10-20 times. Due to the greater osmotic pressure the inhaled salt diminishes the oedema of the bronchial mucosa, decreases its inflammation, dissolves the mucus, and makes expectoration easier and faster (expectoration of air pollution and allergens will be faster, too). It inhibits the growth of bacteria and, in some case, kills them. Phagocyte activity is also increased. It has beneficial effect on the well being of the patients, and a relaxation effect on the central nervous system. It can prevent, or at least decrease the frequency of the respiratory tract inflammations. It produces better lung function parameters, diminishes bronchial hyperreactivity, which is the sign of decreasing inflammation. Its beneficial effect is true not only in inflammation of the lower respiratory tract, but also in acute or chronic upper airways inflammations. According to the international literature it has beneficial effect for some chronic dermatological disease, too, such as psoriasis, pyoderma and atopic dermatitis. This treatment (called as Indisó) is available under medical control in Hungary, too.

Cost-effectiveness of heat and moisture exchangers compared to usual care for pulmonary rehabilitation after total laryngectomy in Poland.

The beneficial physical and psychosocial effects of heat and moisture exchangers (HMEs) for pulmonary rehabilitation of laryngectomy patients are well evidenced. However, cost-effectiveness in terms of costs per additional quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) has not yet been investigated. Therefore, a model-based cost-effectiveness analysis of using HMEs versus usual care (UC) (including stoma covers, suction system and/or external humidifier) for patients after laryngectomy was performed. Primary outcomes were costs, QALYs and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Secondary outcomes were pulmonary infections, and sleeping problems. The analysis was performed from a health care perspective of Poland, using a time horizon of 10 years and cycle length of 1 year. Transition probabilities were derived from various sources, amongst others a Polish randomized clinical trial. Quality of life data was derived from an Italian study on similar patients. Data on frequencies and mortality-related tracheobronchitis and/or pneumonia were derived from a Europe-wide survey amongst head and neck cancer experts. Substantial differences in quality-adjusted survival between the use of HMEs (3.63 QALYs) versus UC (2.95 QALYs) were observed. Total health care costs/patient were 39,553 PLN (9465 Euro) for the HME strategy and 4889 PLN (1168 Euro) for the UC strategy. HME use resulted in fewer pulmonary infections, and less sleeping problems. We could conclude that given the Polish threshold of 99,000 PLN/QALY, using HMEs is cost-effective compared to UC, resulting in 51,326 PLN/QALY (12,264 Euro/QALY) gained for patients after total laryngectomy. For the hospital period alone (2 weeks), HMEs were cost-saving: less costly and more effective.

[Economic burden of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in critical care patients in hospitals in Bogotá]. / Impacto económico de la resistencia a la meticilina en pacientes con bacteriemia por Staphylococcus aureus en hospitales de Bogotá

INTRODUCTION: Resistant infections, especially those involving the bloodstream, are associated with a greater use of resources. Their estimates are variable and depend on the methodology used. Staphylococcus aureus is the main pathogen isolated in blood in our hospitals. There is no consolidated data about economic implications of methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection. OBJECTIVE: To describe the cost of care of methicillin-resistant S. aureus bacteremia in a reference population from nine hospitals in Bogotá. Materials y methods: A multicenter cohort study included 204 patients in a 1:1 ratio according to resistance. Direct medical costs were calculated from hospitalization bills, while the bacteremia period was calculated by applying microcosting based on standard fares. RESULTS: We found no significant differences between groups in demographic and clinical characteristics, except for resistance risk factors. Fifty-three percent of patients died during hospitalization. Hospital stay and total invoiced value during hospitalization were significantly higher in the group with methicillin-resistant S. aureus bacteremia. For this group, higher costs in ICU stay, antibiotics use, intravenous fluids, laboratory tests and respiratory support were recorded. A crude increase of 31% and an adjusted increase of 70% in care costs associated with methicillin resistance were registered. CONCLUSION: Our study supports decision makers in finding and funding infection prevention programs, especially those infections caused by resistant organisms.

Impacto económico de la resistencia a la meticilina en pacientes con bacteriemia por Staphylococcus aureus en hospitales de Bogotá / Economic burden of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in critical care patients in hospitals in Bogotá

Introducción. Las infecciones por microorganismos resistentes, especialmente las que involucran el torrente sanguíneo, se asocian a un mayor uso de recursos. Sus estimaciones son variables y dependen de la metodología utilizada. Staphylococcus aureus es el agente de sangre aislado con mayor frecuencia en nuestro medio. No existe información sobre el costo asociado con la atención de bacteriemias por S. aureus resistente a meticilina en nuestro país. Objetivo. Presentar una aproximación del costo de atención de las bacteriemias por S. aureus resistente a la meticilina en nueve hospitales de Bogotá. Materiales y métodos. Se incluyeron 204 pacientes en un estudio de cohortes multicéntrico en una razón de 1:1 según la resistencia. Se aproximaron los costos médicos directos con base en las facturas del período de hospitalización; en cuanto al período de la bacteriemia, los costos detallados se calcularon aplicando las tarifas estandarizadas. Resultados. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en las características clínicas y demográficas de los grupos, salvo en los antecedentes de la bacteriemia. El 53 % de los sujetos falleció durante la hospitalización. La estancia y el valor total facturado por la hospitalización fueron significativamente mayores en el grupo con bacteriemia por S. aureus resistente a la meticilina, así como los costos de la estancia en cuidados intensivos, de los antibióticos, los líquidos parenterales, los exámenes de laboratorio y la terapia respiratoria. El incremento crudo del costo de la atención asociado con la resistencia a meticilina fue de 31 % y, el ajustado, de 70 %. Conclusión. Este estudio constituye un respaldo a los tomadores de decisiones para la búsqueda y la financiación de programas de prevención de infecciones causadas por microorganismos resistentes.

Introduction: Resistant infections, especially those involving the bloodstream, are associated with a greater use of resources. Their estimates are variable and depend on the methodology used. Staphylococcus aureus is the main pathogen isolated in blood in our hospitals. There is no consolidated data about economic implications of methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection. Objective: To describe the cost of care of methicillin-resistant S. aureus bacteremia in a reference population from nine hospitals in Bogotá. Materials y methods: A multicenter cohort study included 204 patients in a 1:1 ratio according to resistance. Direct medical costs were calculated from hospitalization bills, while the bacteremia period was calculated by applying microcosting based on standard fares. Results: We found no significant differences between groups in demographic and clinical characteristics, except for resistance risk factors. Fifty-three percent of patients died during hospitalization. Hospital stay and total invoiced value during hospitalization were significantly higher in the group with methicillin-resistant S. aureus bacteremia. For this group, higher costs in ICU stay, antibiotics use, intravenous fluids, laboratory tests and respiratory support were recorded. A crude increase of 31% and an adjusted increase of 70% in care costs associated with methicillin resistance were registered. Conclusion: Our study supports decision makers in finding and funding infection prevention programs, especially those infections caused by resistant organisms.

Breathing new life into treatment advances for respiratory failure in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.

In the last three decades, improvements in respiratory management are responsible for increasing survival and improving quality of life for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. Nowadays, ALS patients with respiratory involvement are offered a support treatment other than the traditional respiratory palliative care. Knowledge about available respiratory support potentialities is essential for appropriate, customized and effective treatment of ALS, which should probably be started sooner than the conventional approach. There is evidence supporting that respiratory support has a larger impact than riluzole on survival. Noninvasive ventilation is essential in the treatment of ALS patients with respiratory involvement. In this article methods to determine respiratory failure in ALS, mechanical invasive and noninvasive ventilation, telemetry, diaphragm pacing, cough aids and respiratory exercise are reviewed, after a brief overlook of respiratory insufficiency in ALS.