Chest
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Comparative Study
Lack of oxygen supply dependency in patients with severe sepsis. A study of oxygen delivery increased by military antishock trouser and dobutamine.
During severe sepsis, the existence of a pathologic oxygen supply dependency remains controversial. ⋯ There was no evidence of a pathologic oxygen supply dependency in patients with severe sepsis, even in those who had an elevated concentration of plasma lactate and in those who ultimately died. These results do not favor the conclusion that maximizing DO2 is a primary therapeutic objective in such patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Influence of positioning on ventilation-perfusion relationships in severe adult respiratory distress syndrome.
In 12 patients with severe adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pulmonary gas exchange and hemodynamics were evaluated before, during, and after a 2-h period of pressure-controlled mechanical ventilation with the patient in the prone position. Ventilation-perfusion relationships (VA/Q) were assessed by a multiple inert gas elimination technique. Pressure-controlled mechanical ventilation in the prone position resulted in an overall increase (p < or = 0.05) of arterial oxygenation after 120 min (98.4 +/- 50.3 to 146.2 +/- 94.9 mm Hg). ⋯ The nonresponder group did not show any significant alteration in the distribution of VA/Q during the study. We concluded that improvement of oxygenation during pressure-controlled mechanical ventilation in the prone position is due to a shift of blood flow away from shunt regions, thus increasing areas with normal VA/Q. This redistribution of blood flow is most likely caused by a recruitment of previously ateletatic but nondiseased areas induced by altered gravitational forces.
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Comparative Study
Routine chest radiographs following repositioning of endotracheal tubes are necessary to assess correct position in pediatric patients.
Attempts to correctly reposition endotracheal tubes (ETTs) are not always successful in pediatric patients, even when chest radiographs (CXRs) are measured to determine the distance that the ETT deviates from the correct position. We determined the frequency of continued ETT malposition after repositioning in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Forty children with malpositioned ETTs were identified during a 4-month period. ⋯ Despite repositioning based on measurements taken from a CXR, a large percentage of pediatric patients had continued ETT malposition. However, after radiographic documentation of correct position, we demonstrated that significant movement was uncommon. Routine confirmation of ETT position by CXRs should be considered after repositioning ETTs in pediatric patients.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
The effect of the total cumulative epinephrine dose administered during human CPR on hemodynamic, oxygen transport, and utilization variables in the postresuscitation period.
Studies evaluating the dose of epinephrine required to optimize return of spontaneous circulation and survival after CPR have shown that doses greater than recommended by advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) improve coronary perfusion pressure and short-term resuscitation rates. Since survival has not improved, it is possible that higher doses of epinephrine may be physiologically detrimental in the postresuscitation period. ⋯ The administration of all doses of epinephrine during the resuscitation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is associated with impairment of DO2 and VO2 in the postresuscitation period. Both duration and severity of these impairments correlate with the total cumulative epinephrine dose given during the resuscitation. Thus, inadvertent catecholamine toxicity represents a further complicating factor in the production of postresuscitation disease. Diagnostic and therapeutic interventions addressed toward mitigating these potentially reversible adverse effects may impact morbidity and mortality in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.
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Comparative Study
Decreasing frequency but worsening mortality of acute respiratory failure secondary to AIDS-related Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.
To describe changes in incidence and outcome of acute respiratory failure (ARF) due to AIDS-related Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) at a tertiary care center over the 4-year period starting April 1, 1987 with reference to previously reported data from the preceding 6 years. ⋯ Our data show a decreasing frequency but a worsening mortality of ARF secondary to AIDS-related PCP. We conclude that ARF secondary to AIDS-related PCP developing despite maximal therapy, including adjunctive corticosteroids, carries a dismal prognosis.