Radiographically documented pneumonia
pneumonia, hypothermia, leukopenia, fever, ’, leukocytosis
ALEUKOCYTOSIS, PNEUMONIA, LEUKOPENIA, INFILTRATE, ADVERSE EVENTS
Two investigators manually abstracted from electronic medical records whether pneumonia was present in participants 30 days postextubation (yes, no). Evidence of a new or progressive radiographically documented infiltrate plus any two of the following four clinical features define pneumonia: (1) fever or hypothermia (body temperature > 38 °C or < 36 °C), (2) leukocytosis or leukopenia (white blood cell count > 11,000 per mmTwo investigators who were blinded to the participants’ group adjudicated pneumonia outcomes, with discrepancies resolved within a group discussion involving a third blinded investigator. In our center, chest x-rays and complete blood counts with differential were monitored on a routine basis: weekly or, if pneumonia is suspected, more frequently.The SOC nurse documented the time spent on providing the SOC program, patients’ adherence to the SOC protocols, and whether any adverse events (coughing, wet voice, respiratory rate > 30 breaths per minute, and decreased oxygen saturation) surfaced during or immediately after the intervention. Adherence to the SOC program or to each individual protocol was rated daily by the SOC nurse and calculated as the mean adherence scores ranging across three main points: 0 (no or limited adherence), 1 (partial adherence), and 2 (full adherence).