Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Feb 1999
Multicenter StudyPrognostic performance and customization of the SAPS II: results of a multicenter Austrian study. Simplified Acute Physiology Score.
To evaluate the prognostic performance of the original Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II in Austrian intensive care patients and to evaluate the impact of customization. ⋯ SAPS II was not well calibrated when applied to all patients. However, it performed well for patients with cardiovascular diseases as the primary reason for admission and may thus be applied to these patients. Standardized mortality ratios that are calculated from scoring systems without known calibration must be viewed with skepticism.
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Intensive care medicine · Feb 1999
Case ReportsARDS in a patient with homozygous beta-thalassemia due to yersiniosis.
We report a case of Yersinia enterocolitica sepsis syndrome and the acute respiratory distress syndrome in a chronically transfused adolescent with beta-thalassemia. This manifestation of serious Y. enterocolitica infection has not previously been reported. Dyspnea, hypoxia, and fever were the principal features of the clinical presentation. ⋯ Y. enterocolitica was identified from blood and intraoperative appendix cultures. Although there was no need for mechanical ventilation, a remarkable persistence of clinical and X-ray findings was noted. Therapy with high levels of oxygen, and intravenous amikacin and piperacillin/tazobactam led to a favorable outcome.
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Intensive care medicine · Feb 1999
Comparative StudyExtravascular lung water and intrathoracic blood volume: double versus single indicator dilution technique.
The accuracy of single thermodilution was assessed in measuring extravascular lung water (EVLW) and intrathoracic blood volume (ITBV). ⋯ Single thermodilution allows estimation of ITBV and EVLW values with reasonable accuracy and therefore provides useful information about the cardiac preload and the severity of lung injury. However, automatic calculation of EVLWI(ST) and ITBV(ST) using the Pulsion Cold Z-021 might be biased. Therefore, researchers and clinicians should validate single thermodilution for the given settings, before employing this method to estimate EVLW and ITBV.
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Intensive care medicine · Feb 1999
Use of sedatives, analgesics and neuromuscular blocking agents in Danish ICUs 1996/97. A national survey.
To assess the use of sedatives, analgesics and neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) in patients requiring mechanical ventilation in Danish Intensive Care Units (ICUs). ⋯ Sedatives and analgesics are widely used in patients requiring mechanical ventilation in Danish ICUs. NMBAs are only used in a few patients. The frequency of use is correlated to the level of ventilatory support required and to the kind of respiratory disease.