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About the webinar

Work of Breathing (WOB) represents the work performed by the respiratory muscles to mobilise gases in and out of the lungs ensuring that CO2 removal and O2 delivery appropriately meet systemic metabolic demands. Increased WOB is not recognised by arterial blood gas analysis (a widespread practice when assessing patients in respiratory distress) and, if untreated, risks the development of respiratory muscle fatigue leading to hypoventilation, apnea, and cardiac arrest.

The lack of a practical non-invasive bedside tool to assess WOB prompted Dr Gazmuri to develop several years back a WOB Scale to be used inside – and more recently – outside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The WOB Scale was helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic and has proven to be a useful bedside tool to promptly identify increased WOB leading to interventions aimed at reducing respiratory load and/or instituting non-invasive or invasive support of the respiratory muscles.

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