title: Cardiorespiratory function before and after chest physiotherapy in mechanically ventilated patients with post-traumatic respiratory failure.
abstract: Chest physiotherapy (CPT) is used frequently in the ICU, but there is little available information that quantitates its effect on cardiac or respiratory function. Nineteen mechanically ventilated patients with post-traumatic respiratory failure were studied before, immediately after, and 2 h after CPT was used to manage secretion retention. Cardiac index was unchanged, but there was an immediate decrease in intrapulmonary shunt, followed 2 h later by an increase in lung/thorax compliance. We did not find the reduced cardiac output reported by others. The reasons for this may include use of different CPT techniques, a young patient population (mean age 32.4 yr), and mechanical ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure. CPT did not produce the deleterious cardiopulmonary changes associated with bronchoscopy, and it reduced retained lung secretions without producing hypoxemia. Intrapulmonary shunt and lung/thorax compliance were significantly improved, but the long-term clinical effect of these changes is unknown.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D002302:Cardiac Output; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000379:methods*; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D013396:Suction; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen