RSV Ventilation

“Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a virus that causes infections of the lungs and respiratory tract. It is so common that most children have been infected with the virus by age 2” (Mayo). The same as most viruses, RSV may go away on their own, but some cases can get severe and require special treatment and even hospitalization. “For most babies and young children, the infection causes nothing more than a cold. But for a small percentage, infection with the RSV virus can lead to serious problems” (WebMD).

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) causes acute respiratory tract infection in patients of all ages and is one of the most popular diseases of childhood. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, which manifests primarily as bronchiolitis and/or viral pneumonia, is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract (LRT) infection in infants and young children. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lungs) and pneumonia in children under one year of age in the United States. During the first year of life, most infants are infected with the virus. Most RSV infected children encounter

Each year more than 90,000 infants are hospitalized with the RSV infection, and nearly 75% of bronchiolitis cases and more than 50% of pneumonia cases are hospitalized also because of the infection. The infection usually lasts from four to twenty-one days. If the infection is severe it could last a lot longer. By the age of two most children has had the infection. There are new developments in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of RSV infection in infants and children. Early childhood recognition can help to minimize the morbidity and

Bronchiolitis is a lower respiratory infection caused commonly by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the first two years of life. Nearly every child in the United States will be infected with RSV before its second birthday. The condition is a leading cause of hospital admissions among children under the age of two. The populations most frequently and severely affected by bronchiolitis include; infants less than 12 months of age, children born at a low gestational age (less than 32 weeks), and children with chronic lung disease, congenital heart disease, or immunodeficiency. Standardized and proper diagnosis and management are essential to effective treatment. The guideline established by the Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in 2014 provides practitioners with recommendations for diagnosis, management, and prevention of bronchiolitis in children.

Bronchiolitis is defined by the textbook as, “a diffuse, inflammatory obstruction in the small airways or bronchioles occurring most commonly in children” (Heuther & McCance, 2012). It is an acute inflammatory disease of the lower respiratory tract that occurs most commonly in infants and is caused by infection with seasonal viruses such as respiratory synctial virus (RSV) (Zorc & Hall, 2010). Bronchiolitis often results from an obstruction of the small airways. It is the leading cause of infant hospitalization in the United States (Zorc & Hall 2010) and is arguably the most common significant medical illness of childhood, with at least “1 in 7 normal infants developing symptomatic bronchiolitis in his or her first year of

Helfrich, et al. (2015) stated in this article that the environment was controlled and included only normal term infants and late pre term infants that were under 24 months old. It excluded all patients who had any health risk factors. The study also included a diverse population from different parts of the country. There was a total of almost 600,000 patients who were diagnosed with RSV. Amongst these patients, 7,600 were admitted needing additional care and 643 were classified as late pre term. The study was conducted from October 2005 to April 2011.

from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. Respiration is an example of diffusing gas molecules that takes places in the lungs. The oxygen we inhale is exchanged for carbon dioxide in tiny air sacs in the lungs called alveoli. When oxygen-depleted blood goes near the lungs, carbon dioxide diffuses into the alveoli where it is eventually removed through exhalation. At the same time, oxygen diffuses from the

The main process of getting oxygen into the blood is the process of diffusion. Through diffusion the oxygen molecules pass into the alveoli. In the lungs the cells are going through cellular respiration. This allows for carbon dioxide to be produced and exhaled out. It is thought that a person can exhale out 100 times more carbon dioxide than the person initially took in. When blood is distributed through the capillaries throughout the lungs carbon dioxide is exchanged through diffusion to the cells. Oxygen is then distributed into the oxygen in exchange for the carbon dioxide. When inside the muscles there is a gas exchange that is opposite of that which happens inside the lungs. In the muscles, carbon

Respiratory syncytial virus is one of the most common causes of infection in adults, children, and infants. It comes with cold-like symptoms such as low-grade fever, sneezing (b1) and usually associated with increase wheezing (s1). In premature infants, RSV considered as a major cause of hospitalization, morbidity and mortality. The associated factors of having

Ventilation, the process for gas exchanging between lungs and air, involves the inhalation and exhalation to maintain homeostasis. After inhalation, the first gas exchange takes place in alveoli. Due to the difference in partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) between the bloodstream and the alveoli, oxygen dissolves to diffuse into the bloodstream and carried by the red blood cell (Blide et al., 1961). As soon as the hemoglobin approaching to the target tissues, peripheral gas exchange occurs again for the difference in partial pressure. In a similar process, carbon dioxide, a metabolic waste diffused from the tissues and partially formed as bicarbonate, eventually is to be removed by exhalation at alveoli (Johnson, 2008).

As mentioned, gas exchange is the transfer of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs.

One of the key functions of the human respiratory system is to maintain intracellular homeostasis of oxygen and carbon dioxide by means of blood acidity regulation and gas exchange (Silverthorn, Johnson, & Ober, 2013, p. 569). Gas exchange occurs primarily in the alveoli during ventilation, a mechanical process that involves inspiration and expiration, due to changes in pressure between the lungs and the atmosphere (Silverthorn, Johnson & Ober, 2013, p. 570). Inspiration involves movement of air into the lungs and expiration involves movement of air out of the lungs, and the volume of air moved in and out

RSD Respiratory Distress Syndrome is found in premature babies whose lungs have not fully developed. This disease is mainly caused by a lack of a slippery substance in the lung called surfactant. Surfactant helps lungs fill with air and keep the air sacs from deflating. It is presented in lungs that are fully developed. Most babies born before 37 weeks are common to get this disease. Other causes of babies getting this disease is genetic problems with the lungs, a brother/sister who had it, mother having diabetes, problems with delivery, or rapid labor.

Kids under the age of two are most susceptible to RSV ( respiratory synctial virus). RSV affects mostly the lungs. The symptoms are relatively minor and are very similar to the common cold. Call a pediatrician if the child is wheezing, breathing abnormally fast, struggling to breath, refuses to drink, appears extremely tired and

High Frequency Ventilation, HFV, with its small tidal volumes appears to be ideal for ventilation within the safety zone. Dr, Alison Froese, pulmonologist, assumes that there is a window in the Pressure-Volume relation, the area between a lower zone of atelectasis and an upper zone of overdistention. If possible, ideally, Tidal Volume should fit within this area. We can achieve that by setting PEEP level above the lower inflection point and reducing Plateau Pressure to avoid over inflation. In diseased lung, the safe window may be too small to harbor conventional tidal volume. When the patient is attached to HFOV, some aspects should be mentioned. Through careful observation we can detect early evidence of changing disease or adverse effects. Auscultation during HFOV may be difficult, but very useful. For instance, reduced breath sounds can indicate pneumothorax or endotracheal tube displacement when the tube is too low. Humidification and warming of inspiratory gases are necessary to prevent necrotizing tracheobronchitis. In the article “High frequency oscillatory ventilation in children: an overview”, the authors use data gained through systematic professional literature review and current studies to provide the information about different modes of HFV, and to summarize the current knowledge about advantages of HFV. It