Ventilator Support and Oxygen Therapy in Palliative and End-of-Life Care in the Elderly

[Weaning in the out-of-hospital setting: a Scoping Review]

In 2021, a transitional form of housing for outpatient weaning was certified based on paragraph 17 of the Bavarian Law on Quality Assurance of Care and Housing. In order to get an overview over the research field, we carried out a scoping review. In particular, we focussed on two research questions: 1. What are the factors that contribute to the quality of life of people receiving artificial respiration in an outpatient setting? 2. Which factors necessitate weaning in an outpatient setting and what are the conditions that facilitate weaning?Seven data bases were searched with defined search terms. After two extractions, 401 matches were found. On the basis of an analysis of these abstracts, the results were systematically categorized. In order to answer the research questions, the topic "intensive and respiration care" was chosen for closer analysis; 120 texts were analysed more thoroughly.Results showed that we do not have sufficient data to answer the research questions in a satisfactory manner. The quality of life of ventilated people was found to be heterogenous, but self-determination and empathetic communication between the relevant institutions, on the one hand, and patients, on the other, clearly enhanced it. What was also beneficial was the inclusion of patients in social networks. What was obviously negative was the lack of competent personnel. It was also observed that the weaning potentials in outpatient care were not sufficiently made use of. Intersectoral care concepts are being discussed.The issues of intensive outpatient care as well as weaning and the question of how a self-determined and satisfactory life can be achieved have hardly been evaluated. Moreover, the terms quality of life and self-determination in this setting have hardly been operationalized. Further research is necessary. Nonetheless, self-determination appears to contribute to the life quality of seriously ill patients.

Do spirituality and emotional intelligence improve the perception of the ability to provide care at the end of life? The role of knowledge and self-efficacy

OBJECTIVES

Spirituality, emotional intelligence, and palliative care (PC) knowledge have a positive and direct influence on self-efficacy and on perception of preparation and ability to provide end-of-life (EOL) care. The aim of this work is to propose a conceptual model that relates spirituality, emotional intelligence, PC knowledge, self-efficacy, and the preparation and ability to provide EOL care by doctors and nurses.

METHODS

Quantitative, exploratory, descriptive, and inferential study applied to doctors and nurses in a hospital in the north of Portugal, between May and July 2022. The data collection instrument includes a questionnaire. The relationships between latent variables were evaluated using structural equation models by the partial least squares method using the Smart PLS 3.0 software. It was obtained the previous authorization of the ethics committee.

RESULTS

The results (n = 380) indicate that self-efficacy, spirituality, and PC knowledge have a positive influence on the ability to provide EOL care. Emotional intelligence and spirituality have a direct and positive effect on self-efficacy. There is no direct influence of emotional intelligence on the ability to provide EOL care, but emotional intelligence has an indirect effect mediated by self-efficacy.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

Spirituality, self-efficacy, and emotional intelligence are very important for the ability of doctors and nurses to provide EOL care. The identification of predictive factors of the ability to provide EOL care and the determination of the relationship between them can improve the provision of EOL care, reduction of health costs, timely and early referral of people to PC, and increase life quality.

[Non-invasive Mechanical Ventilation in Acute Respiratory Failure. Clinical Practice Guidelines - on behalf of the German Society of Pneumology and Ventilatory Medicine]

The guideline update outlines the advantages as well as the limitations of NIV in the treatment of acute respiratory failure in daily clinical practice and in different indications.Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has a high value in therapy of hypercapnic acute respiratory failure, as it significantly reduces the length of ICU stay and hospitalization as well as mortality.Patients with cardiopulmonary edema and acute respiratory failure should be treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and oxygen in addition to necessary cardiological interventions. This should be done already prehospital and in the emergency department.In case of other forms of acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure with only mild or moderately disturbed gas exchange (PaO2/FiO2 > 150 mmHg) there is no significant advantage or disadvantage compared to high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO). In severe forms of ARDS NIV is associated with high rates of treatment failure and mortality, especially in cases with NIV-failure and delayed intubation.NIV should be used for preoxygenation before intubation. In patients at risk, NIV is recommended to reduce extubation failure. In the weaning process from invasive ventilation NIV essentially reduces the risk of reintubation in hypercapnic patients. NIV is regarded useful within palliative care for reduction of dyspnea and improving quality of life, but here in concurrence to HFNO, which is regarded as more comfortable. Meanwhile NIV is also recommended in prehospital setting, especially in hypercapnic respiratory failure and pulmonary edema.With appropriate monitoring in an intensive care unit NIV can also be successfully applied in pediatric patients with acute respiratory insufficiency.