Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Corso di laurea in infermieristica - Sede di Modena

Abstract

The respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a kind of respiratory failure characterized by hypoxia due to severe inflammatory damage that causes an abnormal alveolar membrane permeability. The alveoli are filled with liquid, which doesn't allow gas exchange. The mortality rate in patients with ARDS is high, approximately between 50 and 60%, depending on the amount of lung tissue affected and the body's ability to maintain an adequate oxygen supply to vital organs. There are more than sixty possible causes of ARDS, but the most common include sepsis, pneumonia, and trauma. The most common treatment include: drug therapy with neuromuscular blocking agents, sedatives, analgesics and antibiotics, mechanical ventilation, enteral nutrition and the technique of pronation. The prono-supination is a technique that can be considered simple, safe, non-invasive, which can help to improve oxygenation preventing lung damage caused by high PEEP, volutrauma and oxygen toxicity. Several trials show how the technique of pronation improves oxygenation of patients, drainage of secretions, significantly reduces the death rate and leads to adverse effects completely avoidable by careful nursing. The critical care nurse is a key figure who must consider the real need of the treatment, identify possible contraindications and lead the procedure.