A Comprehensive Review of the Management of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an inflammatory process in the lungs that induces non-hydrostatic protein-rich pulmonary edema. ARDS occurs in roughly half of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia patients, with most of them requiring intensive care. Oxygen saturation, partial pressure of the oxygen, and the fraction of the inspired oxygen are health indicators that may indicate a severe illness necessitating further investigation. As treatments have evolved, a typical pattern of ARDS has likewise evolved. In cases where mechanical ventilation is required, the use of low tidal volumes (<6 ml/kg ideal body weight) and airway pressures (plateau pressure <30 cmH2O) was recommended. For patients with moderate/severe ARDS (partial pressure to fractional inspired oxygen ratio <20), prone positioning was recommended for at least 16 hours per day. By contrast, high-frequency oscillation was not recommended. The use of inhaled vasodilators was recommended in patients with persistent hypoxemia despite invasive ventilation and prone position until extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). The use of a conservative fluid management strategy was suggested for all patients. Mechanical ventilation with high positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) was suggested for patients with ARDS with a ratio of arterial oxygen partial pressure to fractional inspired oxygen (PF) ratios. ECMO was suggested as an adjunct to protective mechanical ventilation for patients with severe ARDS. In the absence of adequate evidence, research recommendations were made for corticosteroids and extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal. While decades of research have been conducted, treatment options for underlying pathologies remain limited, and mechanical ventilation, which removes carbon dioxide from the body, remains essential to achieving better clinical outcomes. This review aims to identify the best ARDS treatments that are currently available.

A Case of Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis With Bronchial Asthma.

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a fungal hypersensitivity reaction in chronic lung diseases like bronchial asthma and cystic fibrosis. It is caused by an allergic reaction to aspergillus antigen in the lung mucus resulting in airway inflammation and damage. This condition usually presents in a patient with asthma as a poorly controlled disease with recurrent infection symptoms that do not respond to standard antibiotic therapy. Diagnosis is made by chest X-ray, computed tomography, eosinophilia, and raised serum IgE on serology and immunological tests for aspergillus antigen. Lack of diagnosis and treatment of the condition can lead to respiratory failure from bronchiectasis and pulmonary fibrosis.