-
Thursday, 10/03/2013
Gianluigi Li Bassi successfully defended his doctoral thesis: “New insights into the role of the semirecumbent position in the pathogenesis of ventilator-Associated Pneumonia and potential preventive measures”
The public event was held last July 8th in the University of Barcelona, Faculty of Medicine
Gianluigi Li Bassi has been working as doctoral researcher at the Applied Research in Respiratory Diseases group led by Prof. Antoni Torres at the IDIBAPS. He graduated in Medicine from the University of Milan, with a specialization in anesthesia and critical care. He is the coordinator of the Animal Experimentation Division and his research focuses on finding new strategies to reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Results presented in his thesis were published in the journal Critical Care Medicine. The public event took place on July 8th in the University of Barcelona, Faculty of Medicine, and the thesis tribunal comprised Prof. Antoni Artigas, from the Hospital ParcTaulí of Sabadell, Prof.NeusFabregas, Head of the Anesthesiology, reanimation and pain treatment Service at the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, and Dra. Paula Ramírez, from the Hospital La Fe de Valencia.
In 2008, Dr. Li Bassipublished in Critical Care Medicine (36 (2) :518-25) with Prof. Theodor Kolobow, from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (USA), an article about the effects of gravitational force on tracheal mucus transport and on bacterial colonization of the respiratory system. This prospective randomized animal study showed that following tracheal intubation gravitational force influences tracheal mucus clearance. When the trachea is oriented above horizontal, a flow of mucus from the proximal trachea toward the lungs is highly associated with bacterial colonization of the airways and pneumonia.
In 2013, now from the team led by Dr. Antoni Torres at IDIBAPS where he works since 2009, Dr. Li Bassi published another work in Critical Care Medicine (41 (2) :518-26) to assess fluid sealing effectiveness of endotracheal tube cuffs. Sealing plays a critical role in the prevention of colonization of the airways. Outer diameter, length, and compliance of each cuff were analyzed in this in vitro study. The results show that transmitted tracheal pressure is extremely heterogeneous and differs among cuffs, occasionally reaching localized, very high, unsafe levels.
Finally, he investigated the effects of two different types of manual rib cage compression on expiratory flow and mucus clearance during prolonged mechanical ventilation in pigs. This prospective randomized animal study with nine healthy pigs was published in Critical Care Medicine (41 (3): 850-6). Pigs were tracheally intubated, sedated, paralyzed, and mechanically ventilated on a surgical bed in the anti-Trendelenburg position. The experiments were carried out at approximately 60 and 80 hrs from the beginning of mechanical ventilation. Two types of manual rib cage compressions were tested. Hard manual rib cage compression improved mucus clearance in animals positioned in the anti-Trendelenburg position, while soft manual rib cage compression was not effective and potentially unsafe.
Dr. Gianluigi Li Bassi brilliantly defended his doctoral thesis and obtained the best qualification, Excellent Cum Laude. The thesis was presented in English and raised interest among the thesis tribunal for its clinical implications. The tribunal members also acknowledged the leadership of the thesis director, Dr. Miquel Ferrer.