Correlations between pulse oximetry and peak expiratory flow in acute asthma

Toward a Blood-Borne Biomarker of Chronic Hypoxemia: Red Cell Distribution Width and Respiratory Disease

Hypoxemia (systemic oxygen desaturation) marks the presence, risk, and progression of many diseases. Episodic or nocturnal hypoxemia can be challenging to detect and quantify. A sensitive, specific, and convenient marker of recent oxygen desaturation represents an unmet medical need. Observations of acclimatization to high altitude in humans and animals reveals several proteosomic, ventilatory, and hematological responses to low oxygen tension. Of these, increased red cell distribution width (RDW) appears to have the longest persistence. Literature review and analyses of a 2M patient database across the full disease pathome revealed that increased RDW is predictive of poor outcome for certain diseases including many if not all hypoxigenic conditions. Comprehensive review of diseases impacting the respiratory axis show many are associated with increased RDW and no apparent counterexamples. The mechanism linking RDW to outcome is unknown. Conjectural roles for iron deficiency, inflammation, and oxidative stress have not been born out experimentally. Sports-doping studies show that erythropoietin (EPO) injection can induce formation of unusually large red blood cells (RBC) in sufficient numbers to increase RDW. Because endogenous EPO responds strongly to hypoxemia, this molecule could potentially mediate a long-lived RDW response to low oxygenation. RDW may be a guidepost signaling that unexploited information is embedded in subtle RBC variation. Applying modern techniques of measurement and analysis to certain RBC characteristics may yield a more specific and sensitive marker of chronic pulmonary and circulatory diseases, sleep apnea, and opioid inhibition of breathing.

Identifying barriers and facilitators to ambulance service assessment and treatment of acute asthma: a focus group study

Background

Acute asthma is a common reason for patients to seek care from ambulance services. Although better care of acute asthma can prevent avoidable morbidity and deaths, there has been little research into ambulance clinicians’ adherence to national guidelines for asthma assessment and management and how this might be improved. Our research aim was to explore paramedics’ attitudes, perceptions and beliefs about prehospital management of asthma, to identify barriers and facilitators to guideline adherence.

Methods

We conducted three focus group interviews of paramedics in a regional UK ambulance trust. We used framework analysis supported by NVivo 8 to code and analyse the data.

Results

Seventeen participants, including paramedics, advanced paramedics or paramedic operational managers at three geographical sites, contributed to the interviews. Analysis led to five themes: (1) guidelines should be made more relevant to ambulance service care; (2) there were barriers to assessment; (3) the approach needed to address conflicts between clinicians’ and patients’ expectations; (4) the complexity of ambulance service processes and equipment needed to be taken into account; (5) and finally there were opportunities for improved prehospital education, information, communication, support and care pathways for asthma.

Conclusions

This qualitative study provides insight into paramedics’ perceptions of the assessment and management of asthma, including why paramedics may not always follow guidelines for assessment or management of asthma. These findings provide opportunities to strengthen clinical support, patient communication, information transfer between professionals and pathways for prehospital care of patients with asthma.

The role of pulse oximetry in chiropractic practice: a rationale for its use

OBJECTIVE

Pulse oximetry is used regularly to assess oxygen saturation levels. The objective of this commentary is to discuss a rationale for using pulse oximetry in chiropractic practice.

DISCUSSION

Pulse oximetry may offer doctors of chiropractic a way to monitor patients' oxygen saturation levels. Quantification of saturation values with heart rate may give clinical aid to the management of chiropractic patients. Markedly reduced saturation levels may necessitate medical referral, whereas mildly reduced levels could lead to changes in chiropractic management.

CONCLUSIONS

Pulse oximetry has the potential to be an integral part of chiropractic practice.