Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin
-
Treatment of critical ill patients in the intensive care unit is tantamount to well-designed risk or quality management. Several tools of quality management and quality assurance have been developed in intensive care medicine. ⋯ Furthermore, internal quality management in the ICU is possible based on the 10 quality indicators of the German Interdisciplinary Society for Intensive Care Medicine (DIVI, "Deutschen Interdisziplinären Vereinigung für Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin"). Thereby every ICU has numerous possibilities to improve their quality management system.
-
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by the formation of a protein-rich alveolar edema caused by increased permeability of the alveolocapillary membrane. The key clinical feature is refractory arterial hypoxemia, which in severe cases necessitates the application of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. ⋯ In this context, modern and individualized nutritional regimens are of special importance; however, their prognostic impact, especially of immunonutrition, for ARDS patients is controversial. In this review, basic features of nutrition in intensive care medicine and ARDS-specific aspects (e.g., immunonutrition) are presented and discussed.
-
In the critically ill liver patient, nutrition support is not very different from that given for other illnesses. In hyperacute liver failure, nutrition support is of less importance than in the other subtypes of acute liver failure that take a more protracted course. ⋯ Enteral nutrition ensuring an adequate provision of energy and protein should be preferred. Particular care should be taken to avoid refeeding syndrome and to treat vitamin and trace element deficiency.