Critical Appraisal Of The Literature

Critical Appraisal Of The Literature

A broad-based search was employed using the Cochrane database of systematic reviews and PubMed. Key terms for the search included ventilators, ventilator management, mechanical ventilation, positive pressure ventilation, invasive positive pressure ventilation, noninvasive positive pressure ventilation, PEEP, auto-PEEP, emergency department, emergency room, respiratory failure, asthma, COPD, emphysema, CHF, congestive heart failure, and pulmonary edema. Articles were then categorized into type of study (e.g., prospective, randomized), consensus opinion, or review article. Priority was given to prospective, randomized, controlled studies. The references from these articles were also reviewed for additional sources of studies and reviews.