Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Oct 2001
Comparative StudyAccuracy of pulse oximetry in the intensive care unit.
Pulse oximetry (SpO2) is a standard monitoring device in intensive care units (ICUs), currently used to guide therapeutic interventions. Few studies have evaluated the accuracy of SpO2 in critically ill patients. Our objective was to compare pulse oximetry with arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) in such patients, and to examine the effect of several factors on this relationship. ⋯ Large SpO2 to SaO2 differences may occur in critically ill patients with poor reproducibility of SpO2. A SpO2 above 94% appears necessary to ensure a SaO2 of 90%.
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Intensive care medicine · Oct 2001
Prevalence, risk factors and prevention of pressure ulcers in Dutch intensive care units. Results of a cross-sectional survey.
Evaluating the prevalence, risk factors and prevention of pressure ulcers in Dutch intensive care units (ICUs). ⋯ The prevalence of pressure ulcers in Dutch ICUs is high and their prevention is flawed, especially as regards the use of support systems. Patients for whom turning is indicated are not being turned. Predicting pressure ulcers in ICU patients is difficult and needs further investigation.
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Intensive care medicine · Oct 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialA multi-centre, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of liposomal prostaglandin E1 (TLC C-53) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
To evaluate the safety of liposomal PGE1 (TLC C-53) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and determine its efficacy in improving oxygenation and reducing ventilator dependency. ⋯ TLC C-53 was generally well-tolerated but failed to reduce mortality or duration of mechanical ventilation.
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To evaluate splanchnic tissue perfusion, assessed by gastric tonometry, in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and to study the effect of treatment, either surgical or endovascular, and the severity of initial SAH on splanchnic tissue perfusion. ⋯ Splanchnic tissue perfusion may be insufficient even though there is no systemic hemodynamic disturbance in patients after SAH. Neither the therapeutic treatment nor pre-treatment Hunt & Hess grade is associated with a specific pattern of pCO2 gap.