ObjectiveTo evaluate and compare stressors identified by patients of a coronary intensive care unit with those perceived by patients of a general postoperative intensive care unit.MethodsThis cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted in the coronary intensive care and general postoperative intensive care units of a private hospital. In total, 60 patients participated in the study, 30 in each intensive care unit. The stressor scale was used in the intensive care units to identify the stressors. The mean score of each item of the scale was calculated followed by the total stress score. The differences between groups were considered significant when p < 0.05.ResultsThe mean ages of patients were 55.63 ± 13.58 years in the coronary intensive care unit and 53.60 ± 17.47 years in the general postoperative intensive care unit. For patients in the coronary intensive care unit, the main stressors were “being in pain”, “being unable to fulfill family roles” and “being bored”. For patients in the general postoperative intensive care unit, the main stressors were “being in pain”, “being unable to fulfill family roles” and “not being able to communicate”. The mean total stress scores were 104.20 ± 30.95 in the coronary intensive care unit and 116.66 ± 23.72 (p = 0.085) in the general postoperative intensive care unit. When each stressor was compared separately, significant differences were noted only between three items. “Having nurses constantly doing things around your bed” was more stressful to the patients in the general postoperative intensive care unit than to those in the coronary intensive care unit (p = 0.013). Conversely, “hearing unfamiliar sounds and noises” and “hearing people talk about you” were the most stressful items for the patients in the coronary intensive care unit (p = 0.046 and 0.005, respectively).ConclusionThe perception of major stressors and the total stress score were similar between patients in the coronary intensive care and general postoperative intensive care units.

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Introduction: Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or stroke results in weakness of the trunk muscles and physical unfitness. Objectives: To evaluate respiratory changes caused by stroke and correlate them with the functional capacity of chronic stroke patients who were treated at the Clinical Center of Physical Therapy of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Betim. Methods: Fifteen patients were recruited for assessment of respiratory function and functional capacity. We measured maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), peak expiratory flow (PEF), vital capacity (VC), and functional capacity using the six-minute walk test (6MWT). Test results were compared with reference values using an (1):95-102Machado ACM, Silva NGM, Diniz GCL, Pessoa BP, Scalzo PL 96 unpaired Student's t-test or the Mann-Whitney test. Respiratory variables were correlated with the distance walked in the 6MWT using Spearman's correlation test. Results: The sample had a mean age of 58.2 ± 13.4 years, and most patients had a diagnosis of ischemic stroke and left hemiparesis. The following values were obtained: MIP (47.7 ± 22.2 cmH2O); MEP (47.5 ± 20.3 cmH2O); PEF (351.3 ± 90.8 L/min); VC (3.0 ± 0.91 L); and 6MWT (222.4 ± 101.6 m). The MIP, MEP, PEF, and 6MWT values measured in this study were statistically significantly lower (p < 0.001) than the reference values. There was no statistically significant correlation between the distance walked in the 6 MWT and respiratory variables (p > 0.005). Conclusion: Our results suggest that, despite the decrease in respiratory muscle strength, PEF, and VC, these variables did not correlate with the functional capacity of the chronic stroke patients assessed in this study. Introdução: O acidente vascular encefálico (AVE) resulta em fraqueza dos músculos do tronco e descondicionamento físico. Objetivos: Avaliar as alterações respiratórias e correlacioná-las com a capacidade funcional de pacientes pós AVE crônicos do Centro Clínico de Fisioterapia da PUC Minas Betim. Métodos: Foram recrutados 15 pacientes para avaliação respiratória e da capacidade funcional. Foram avaliadas a pressão inspiratória máxima (PImáx), pressão expiratória máxima (PEmáx), pico de fluxo expiratório (PFE), capacidade vital (CV) e a capacidade funcional a partir do teste de caminhada de seis minutos (TC6M). Os resultados foram comparados com os valores de referência utilizando os testes t de Student não pareado ou teste Mann-Whitney. As variáveis respiratórias foram correlacionadas com a distância percorrida no TC6M por meio do Coeficiente de Correlação de Spearman.Resultados: A amostra apresentou idade média de 58,2 ± 13,4 anos, sendo que o diagnóstico da maioria foi AVE isquêmico e hemiparesia à esquerda. Os valores obtidos foram PImáx (47,722,2 cmH 2 O); PEmáx (47,5 20,3 cmH 2 O); PFE (351,390,8 L/min); CV (3,00,91 L) e TC6m (222,4101,6 m). Quando comparados com os valores de referência, os valores de PImáx, PEmáx, PFE e TC6M foram estatisticamente menores (p < 0,001). Não houve correlação es...

A influência de duas frações inspiradas de oxigênio no padrão respiratório de pacientes sob desmame ventilatório