Decarceration and community re-entry in the COVID-19 era

Jails and prisons are exceptionally susceptible to viral outbreaks, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The USA has extremely high rates of incarceration and COVID-19 is causing an urgent health crisis in correctional facilities and detention centres. Epidemics happening in prisons are compounding the elevated risks that COVID-19 poses to people of colour, older people, and those with comorbidities. Intersectoral community re-entry efforts in the USA and other countries have shown that releasing people from correctional facilities as a pandemic-era public health intervention is safe and can support both public safety and community rebuilding. Therefore, substantial decarceration in the USA should be initiated. A point of focus for such efforts is that many people in prison are serving excessively long sentences and pose acceptable safety risks for release. Properly managed, correctional depopulation will prevent considerable COVID-19 morbidity and mortality and reduce prevailing socioeconomic and health inequities.

Rescue from pediatric ECMO with prolonged hybrid intratracheal pulmonary ventilation. A technique for reducing dead space ventilation and preventing ventilator induced lung injury

Hybrid intratracheal pulmonary ventilation (h-ITPV) is a continuous flow ventilatory technique that uses a "reverse thruster" catheter to redirect the flow of gas away from the carina. We report here the use of h-ITPV in a pediatric patient with acute sickle cell chest syndrome who required venoarterial ECMO support because of refractory hypoxemic respiratory failure. Her ECMO course was complicated by air leaks, coagulopathy, cardiac tamponade, and necrotizing tracheobronchitis. She could be weaned from ECMO only by maintaining high pressure conventional ventilatory support. To prevent ventilator induced barotrauma, we initiated h-ITPV and weaned her from ECMO bypass. After 12 days of h-ITPV, with tidal volumes of 2-3 ml/kg at carinal peak inspiratory pressures of 25-30 cm H2O, the air leaks ceased and h-ITPV was discontinued. Dead space ventilation fraction (VD/VT) as low as 0.29 was achieved with this technique. Post-h-ITPV bronchoscopy displayed a dramatic resolution of the necrotizing tracheobronchitis. The patient survived and was discharged from the hospital. We conclude that the use of hybrid ITPV may facilitate weaning from ECMO to low pressure conventional ventilation and prevent the development of pulmonary barotrauma.