ABSTRACT
The intermediate respiratory care units (UCRI) are areas of monitoring and specialized care of patients with acute or chronic-exacerbated respiratory failure, whose severity does not require admission to an intensive care unit, but which due to their complexity cannot be treated in conventional hospitalization. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has proven its usefulness in the management of critical respiratory patients, the historical trajectory of the UCRI comes from many years ago, in which its cost-effectiveness has been demonstrated by far. This document presents a series of questions and answers on the history of the UCRI, in addition to the criteria for admission, infrastructure, human and technical resources, and the types of existing Units. Within the UCRI year 2021-2022 designated by the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery, any scientific dissemination linked to the in-depth knowledge of these units is timely, where multidisciplinarity and the work of professionals related to the care of critical respiratory patients converge.Copyright © 2022
ABSTRACT
An introduction is presented in which the author discusses articles within the issue on topics including environmental contamination by SARS-CoV-2 from COVID-19 19 subjects receiving noninvasive ventilation, SARS-CoV-2 aerosols during noninvasive respiratory support of COVID-19 patients, and response of positive airway pressure devices during treatment of sleep-disordered breathing.
ABSTRACT
An introduction is presented in which the author discusses articles within the issue on topics including environmental contamination by SARS-CoV-2 from COVID-19 19 subjects receiving noninvasive ventilation, SARS-CoV-2 aerosols during noninvasive respiratory support of COVID-19 patients, and response of positive airway pressure devices during treatment of sleep-disordered breathing.
ABSTRACT
The intermediate respiratory care units (UCRI) are areas of monitoring and specialized care of patients with acute or chronic-exacerbated respiratory failure, whose severity does not require admission to an intensive care unit, but which due to their complexity cannot be treated in conventional hospitalization. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has proven its usefulness in the management of critical respiratory patients, the historical trajectory of the UCRI comes from many years ago, in which its cost-effectiveness has been demonstrated by far. This document presents a series of questions and answers on the history of the UCRI, in addition to the criteria for admission, infrastructure, human and technical resources, and the types of existing Units. Within the UCRI year 2021-2022 designated by the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery, any scientific dissemination linked to the in-depth knowledge of these units is timely, where multidisciplinarity and the work of professionals related to the care of critical respiratory patients converge. Copyright © 2022
ABSTRACT
Resumen Las Unidades de Cuidados Respiratorios Intermedios (UCRI) son áreas de monitorización y atención especializada de pacientes con insuficiencia respiratoria aguda o crónica-agudizada, cuya gravedad no precisa de ingreso en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, pero que por su complejidad tampoco pueden ser tratados en planta de hospitalización convencional. Si bien la pandemia por COVID-19 ha demostrado su utilidad en el manejo del paciente respiratorio crítico, la trayectoria histórica de las UCRI viene de muchos años atrás, en la que se ha demostrado su coste-efectividad con creces. El presente documento presenta una serie de preguntas y respuestas sobre la historia de las UCRI, además de los criterios de admisión, infraestructura, recursos humanos y técnicos, y los tipos de Unidades existentes. En el seno del Año UCRI 2021-2022 designado por la Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica, es oportuna toda divulgación científica vinculada al conocimiento a profundidad de estas Unidades, donde confluyen la multidisciplinariedad y el trabajo de profesionales relacionados con el cuidado del paciente respiratorio crítico. The Intermediate Respiratory Care Units (UCRI) are areas of monitoring and specialized care of patients with acute or chronic-exacerbated respiratory failure, whose severity does not require admission to an Intensive Care Unit, but which due to their complexity cannot be treated in conventional hospitalization. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has proven its usefulness in the management of critical respiratory patients, the historical trajectory of the UCRI comes from many years ago, in which its cost-effectiveness has been demonstrated by far. This document presents a series of questions and answers on the history of the UCRI, in addition to the criteria for admission, infrastructure, human and technical resources, and the types of existing Units. Within the UCRI Year 2021-2022 designated by the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery, any scientific dissemination linked to the in-depth knowledge of these Units is timely, where multidisciplinarity and the work of professionals related to the care of critical respiratory patients converge.
ABSTRACT
The imbalance between the prevalence of patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) and acute-on-chronic respiratory failure and the number of intensive care unit (ICU) beds requires new solutions. The increasing use of non-invasive respiratory tools to support patients at earlier stages of ARF and the increased expertise of non-ICU clinicians in other types of supportive care have led to the development of adult pulmonary intensive care units (PICUs) and pulmonary intermediate care units (PIMCUs). As in other European countries, Italian PICUs and PIMCUs provide an intermediate level of care as the setting designed for managing ARF patients without severe non-pulmonary dysfunction. The PICUs and PIMCUs may also act as step-down units for weaning patients from prolonged mechanical ventilation and for discharging patients still requiring ventilatory support at home. These units may play an important role in the on-going coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This position paper promoted by the Italian Thoracic Society (ITS-AIPO) describes the models, facilities, staff, equipment, and operating methods of PICUs and PIMCUs.