0000000000646754
AUTHOR
Albino Lo Coco
The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis functional rating scale predicts survival time in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients on invasive mechanical ventilation.
Objective: To determine whether the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis functional rating scale (ALSFRS), which is a validated instrument that assesses the functional status and the disease progression in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), predicts hospital length of stay and survival time in ALS patients treated with tracheostomy-intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (TIPPV). Methods: Thirty-three consecutive ALS patients with acute respiratory failure who received therapy with TIPPV were prospectively followed up from their admission to the hospital until death. The association of ALSFRS score at hospital admission with length of hospital stay and survival after TIPPV were …
Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease of unknown origin that affects approximately 1.5 individuals per 100,000 every year; usually, these individuals are between 55 and 75 years of age [1]. ALS causes progressive weakness of voluntary muscle groups, including respiratory ones, and respiratory failure or pneumonia related to respiratory muscle weakness is the most frequent cause of death.
Development of chronic hypoventilation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients
SummaryEarly prediction of respiratory muscle involvement and chronic hypoventilation (CH) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients can help to plan mechanical ventilatory aids and palliative care interventions well before respiratory failure occurs. To describe the natural history of the progressive pulmonary dysfunction leading to CH, and to identify potential parameters associated with its development in ALS, we prospectively followed 38 ALS patients up to 26 months, starting from their first presentation at our Clinic. At study entry, median FVC was 87% (interquartile range: 72–104%) and declined by 10% after 6 months (range: 2–49%), showing a very high inter-patient variability.…
Outcome and attitudes toward home tracheostomy ventilation of consecutive patients: a 10-year experience.
Summary Objectives To describe survival, predictors of long-term outcome and attitudes in patients treated at home by tracheostomy-intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (TIPPV) for respiratory failure during a 10-year period (1995–2004). Methods Seventy-seven consecutive patients were treated by TIPPV at home. Patients were divided into three groups: neuromuscular, pulmonary, and non-pulmonary patients. Effects of TIPPV on survival, factors influencing outcome after TIPPV, and attitudes of patients and caregivers regarding mechanical ventilation were studied. Results Forty-one patients (53%) were neuromuscular, 19 (25%) were affected by pulmonary diseases, and 17 (22%) by non-pulmonary…