Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · May 1999
Mechanical ventilation of patients on long-term oxygen therapy with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: prognosis and cost-utility analysis.
To analyze the prognosis and costs of mechanical ventilation in patients with exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treated with long-term oxygen therapy. ⋯ Applying mechanical ventilation to COPD patients treated with long-term oxygen therapy carries a high mortality and cost. Factors significantly associated with mortality in the ICU were albumin and sodium concentrations and FEV1 in hospital and in the first year after discharge.
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Intensive care medicine · May 1999
Relationship of antibodies to endotoxin core to mortality in medical patients with sepsis syndrome.
To assess the prognostic value of determining anti-endotoxin core antibodies (EndoCab) immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgM in medical patients with sepsis syndrome in order to identify patient subgroups that may profit from endotoxin-neutralizing therapy. The findings were correlated with clinical outcome, endotoxin levels and sepsis score. ⋯ Decreased EndoCab IgG concentrations are associated with increased mortality in medical patients with sepsis syndrome. The measurement of initial anti-endotoxin antibodies may provide a useful tool to identify septic patients who profit potentially from endotoxin neutralizing therapy, however considerable overlap of antibody concentrations warrants additional parameters. The sepsis score is easy to determine and useful in the evaluation of medical patients with sepsis.
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Intensive care medicine · May 1999
Effect of inspiratory flow waveform on work on endotracheal tubes: a model analysis.
This model analysis aimed to predict the impact of different inspiratory flow wave-forms, i. e., constant, sinusoidal, and two linearly decreasing flows, on the resistive work (Wres) performed on endotracheal tubes. ⋯ These findings have major clinical implications: at any given ventilator setting, not only the size of the endotracheal tube but also the inspiratory flow waveform must be taken into account to interpret the values of Wres and hence of the total work of breathing.
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Intensive care medicine · May 1999
Central venous cannulation in patients with liver disease and coagulopathy--a prospective audit.
To determine the incidence of vascular complications associated with central venous cannulation in patients with liver disease and coagulopathy. ⋯ The incidence of major vascular complications following central venous cannulation in patients with liver disease and coagulopathy was low in this audit. In liver disease the presence of a raised INR alone should not be considered a contra-indication to central venous cannulation.
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Intensive care medicine · May 1999
Letter Case ReportsVenovenous ECMO in life-threatening radiocontrast mediated-ARDS.