Oropharyngeal dysphagia: when swallowing disorders meet respiratory diseases

We were very interested in the comments made by I. Cavedies and co-workers regarding our paper entitled “Oropharyngeal dysphagia: when swallowing disorders meet respiratory diseases” [1].

Non-invasive ventilation effectiveness and the effect of ventilatory mode on survival in ALS patients.

Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) prolongs survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but there are no data with which to compare the effectiveness of the different ventilator modes – volume (Vol-NIV) or pressure-cycled (Pres-NIV) ventilation – in ALS. We aimed to determine whether the ventilatory mode has an effect on ventilation effectiveness and survival of ALS patients using NIV. We used a retrospective study that included all ALS patients for whom NIV was indicated in two referral units: one using Vol-NIV and the other using Pres-NIV. Demographic, functional and nocturnal gas exchange parameters at NIV initiation were recorded. Eighty-two ALS patients ventilated using Pres-NIV and 6…

Proceedings of Réanimation 2017, the French Intensive Care Society International Congress

Should we use gait speed in COPD, FEV 1 in frailty and dyspnoea in both?

Frailty is a progressive physiological decline in multiple organ systems marked by loss of function, loss of physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to disease [1]. Biological (inflammation and loss of hormones), clinical ( e.g. sarcopenia and osteoporosis) and social factors are involved in frailty onset, evolution and prognosis [2, 3]. Links between frailty, dyspnoea and chronic respiratory diseases represent a novel and practical approach