ReviewCritical care (London, England)2025
Physiology and pathophysiology of mucus and mucolytic use in critically ill patients.
Review in Critical care (London, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Multicenter randomized trial assessing efficacy and safety of aerosolized dornase Alfa in COVID-19 ARDS.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Neutrophil extracellular traps in cardiovascular disease: Mechanisms and therapeutic implications (Review).International journal of molecular medicine · 2026Review
- Diagnostic and Monitoring Potential of Sputum-Derived miRNAs in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Preoperative Professional Tooth Cleaning as a Preventive Measure for Postoperative Pneumonia in OSCC Patients: A Retrospective Study.Oral diseases · 2026Article
- Practice of airway clearance in critically ill patients: a cross-sectional survey of respiratory therapists and physiotherapists in China.Journal of thoracic disease · 2026Article
- Mucoactive Agents in Muco-Obstructive Lung Diseases: A Critical Reappraisal of Pharmacological Effects and Clinical Outcomes.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Incorporating meteorological factors into a SARIMA model for predicting pediatric influenza epidemics.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Development of a radiomics-vision transformer fusion model based on chest CT for predicting adverse respiratory events during recovery in elderly hip fracture patients under general anesthesia.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- How can the collaboration between manufacturers of medical devices and bedside clinicians lead to improved applications of the devices?Canadian journal of respiratory therapy : CJRT = Revue canadienne de la therapie respiratoire : RCTR · 2026Article
- Pregnancy Rhinitis: Pathophysiological Mechanisms, Diagnostic Challenges, and Management Strategies-A Narrative Review.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- A feedback-driven ventilation model for assessing airway secretions in mechanically ventilated patients.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
- Impact of CD11cFrontiers in fungal biology · 2025Article
- Generation of Human 3D Airway Assembloids for Advanced Modeling.International journal of biological sciences · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Airway mucus is a highly specialised secretory fluid which functions as a physical and immunological barrier to pathogens whilst lubricating the airways and humifying atmospheric air. Dysfunction is common during critical illness and is characterised by changes in production rate, chemical composition, physical properties, and inflammatory phenotype. Mucociliary clearance, which is determined in part by mucus characteristics and in part by ciliary function, is also dysfunctional in critical illness via disease related and iatrogenic mechanisms. The consequences of mucus dysfunction are potentially devastating, contributing to prolonged ventilator dependency, increased risk of secondary pneumonia, and worsened lung injury. Mucolytic therapies are designed to decrease viscosity, improve expectoration/suctioning, and thereby promote mucus removal. Mucolytics, including hypertonic saline, dornase alfa/rhDNase, nebulised heparin, carbocisteine/N-Acetyl cysteine, are commonly used in critically ill patients. This review summarises the physiology and pathophysiology of mucus and the existing evidence for the use of mucolytics in critically ill patients and speculates on journey to individualised mucolytic therapy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.