Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Oct 1996
ReviewBedside burr hole for intracranial pressure monitoring performed by intensive care physicians. A 5-year experience.
To assess the results of a 5-year experience with bedside burr hole for intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring performed by intensive care physicians. ⋯ Bedside insertion of a ICP monitor performed by intensive care physicians is a safe procedure, with a complication rate comparable to other series published by neurosurgeons. The overall morbidity rate is comparable to, or even lower than, that caused by central vein catheterization.
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Intensive care medicine · Oct 1996
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialClinical consequences of the implementation of a weaning protocol.
To analyze the clinical and economic consequences of the implementation of a weaning protocol in patients mechanically ventilated (MV) for more than 48 h. ⋯ The implementation of a weaning protocol decreased the duration of MV and ICU stay by increasing the number of safe, direct extubations.
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Intensive care medicine · Oct 1996
Validation of a quality of life questionnaire for critically ill patients.
Development and validation of quality of life questionnaire for critical care patients. ⋯ Questionnaire meets objectives recommended for critical care use, and fulfills essential requirements of validity and reproducibility when applied to critically ill patients.
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Intensive care medicine · Oct 1996
Theoretical interactions between ventilator settings and proximal deadspace ventilation during tracheal gas insufflation.
To investigate the theoretical interactions between ventilator settings, tracheal gas insufflation (TGI), and alveolar ventilation. ⋯ During TGI with constant catheter flow, ventilator settings that promote end-expiratory flow of gas from the lung diminish proximal ventilation. When frequency increases, the decrease in dilution efficiency of the individual breath is partially offset by the increase in cycle number, an effect which is magnified by any concomitant decrease in inspired tidal volume. Prolongation of the duty cycle tends to decrease proximal ventilation. Increases in expiratory resistance, including those arising from the external ventilator circuit or the endotracheal tube, also impair proximal ventilation.
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Intensive care medicine · Oct 1996
Comparative StudyAnalysis of the accuracy of continuous thermodilution cardiac output measurement. Comparison with intermittent thermodilution and Fick cardiac output measurement.
To evaluate the accuracy of cardiac output measurement obtained by a new continuous thermodilution cardiac output (CCO) pulmonary artery catheter compared to intermittent thermodilution (TCO) and the direct Fick method. ⋯ CCO provides clinically acceptable measurements. At high cardiac outputs, the difference with other methods increases and the results must be cautiously interpreted.