Lung Recruitment Manoeuvres in ARDS
Recruitment manoeuvres are transient increases in transpulmonary pressure designed to open up collapsed airless alveoli. Primarily used in severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
Category CCC
The LITFL Critical Care Compendium is a comprehensive collection of pages concisely covering the core topics and controversies of critical care.
Bronchial blocker
bronchial blocker is a device that can isolate part of the bronchial tree at the lobar level
Setting Up a Ventilator
Setting Up a Ventilator
Central Pontine Myelinolysis
Central pontine myelinolysis is a demyelinating disorder that affects the brainstem white matter, mostly central pons and occasionally cerebral hemispheres (then called ‘extrapontine myelinolysis’)
Cerebellar disease DDx
Important causes of diseases affecting the cerebellum
Dementia DDx
Dementia is a syndrome of acquired intellectual impairment characterized by persistent deficits in at least three of the following areas of mental activity: memory; language; visuospatial skills; personality/emotional state; cognition (abstraction, mathematics, and judgment)
Cranial nerve lesions DDx
Differential diagnosis of cranial nerve lesions includes central and peripheral causes. Causes vary according to which cranial nerve is affected, and whether multiple cranial nerves are involved. See also
Peripheral neuropathy DDx
Diseases that affect the the peripheral nerves, either motor or sensory. Important subgroups for differential diagnosis are: predominately motor, painful peripheral neuropathies and mononeuritis multiplex
Radiculopathy DDx
A radiculopathy is sensory or motor dysfunction resulting from pathology involving a spinal nerve root. Symptoms include weakness, burning, tingling, and ‘shooting’ pain in a nerve root distribution.
Pressure vs Volume Loop
Pressure vs Volume Loop: graphical representation of relationship between pressure and volume during inspiration and expiration. Spontaneous breaths go clockwise and positive pressure go counter clockwise
Dynamic Pressure-Volume Loops
Dynamic Pressure-Volume Loops: used to estimate work of breathing in terms of expiratory and inspiratory components.
Seizures DDx
Seizures are the manifestation of abnormal hyperexcitable discharges of cortical neurons. 10 minutes of continuous seizure activity is now considered status epilepticus, which may result in neuronal damage. Seizures should be aggressively treated if they last longer than 5 minutes.