Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Apr 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialAntithrombin III (ATIII) replacement therapy in patients with sepsis and/or postsurgical complications: a controlled double-blind, randomized, multicenter study.
ATIII is decreased in sepsis and/or shock and its baseline value correlates with mortality. The efficacy of ATIII therapy on mortality was assessed in a selected group of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in a double-blind, randomized, multicenter study. ⋯ The results of ATIII treatment in this population of patients suggests that replacement therapy reduces mortality in the subgroup of septic shock patients only.
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Intensive care medicine · Apr 1998
ReviewThe American-European Consensus Conference on ARDS, part 2. Ventilatory, pharmacologic, supportive therapy, study design strategies and issues related to recovery and remodeling.
The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) continues as a contributor to the morbidity and mortality of patients in intensive care units throughout the world, imparting tremendous human and financial costs. During the last ten years there has been a decline in ARDS mortality without a clear explanation. The American-European Consensus Committee on ARDS was formed to re-evaluate the standards for the ICU care of patients with acute lung injury (ALI), with regard to ventilatory strategies, the more promising pharmacologic agents, and the definition and quantification of pathological features of ALI that require resolution. It was felt that the definition of strategies for the clinical design and coordination of studies between centers and continents was becoming increasingly important to facilitate the study of various new therapies for ARDS.
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Intensive care medicine · Apr 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialIbuprofen does not impair renal function in patients undergoing infrarenal aortic surgery with epidural anaesthesia.
To investigate the effect of preoperative ibuprofen administration on renal function during and after infrarenal aortic surgery under thoracolumbar epidural anaesthesia (EPA). ⋯ The inhibition of endogenous prostaglandin release by ibuprofen does not substantially impair renal function during infrarenal aortic surgery under EPA.
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Intensive care medicine · Apr 1998
Comparative StudySequential production of leukaemia inhibitory factor by blood cell culture in patients with ARDS.
Leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a polyfunctional cytokine integrated in cytokine networks and its concentration has been shown to be elevated in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The aim of our study was to evaluate the production of LIF by culturing blood cells from patients with ARDS. ⋯ We have observed that LIF was produced only in ARDS, but not in all patients. The production of LIF seems to be a good indicator of the severity of ARDS. These preliminary results must be confirmed by a larger study.
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Intensive care medicine · Apr 1998
Case ReportsRecurrent hydrochlorothiazide-induced pulmonary edema.
Hydrochlorothiazide-induced pulmonary edema is an unusual but life-threatening adverse reaction. It causes hypoxemia, hypotension, tachycardia, fever, and occasionally electrocardiographic and echocardiographic abnormalities. The mechanism of production is, probably, idiosyncratic.