Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Feb 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyNon-invasive pressure support ventilation and CPAP in cardiogenic pulmonary edema: a multicenter randomized study in the emergency department.
Noninvasive pressure support ventilation (NIPSV) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) are both advocated in the treatment of cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE); however, the superiority of one technique over the other has not been clearly demonstrated. With regard to its physiological effects, we hypothesized that NIPSV would be better than CPAP in terms of clinical benefit. ⋯ During CPE, NIPSV accelerates the improvement of respiratory failure compared to CPAP but does not affect primary clinical outcome either in overall population or in subgroups of patients with hypercapnia or those with high B-type natriuretic peptide.
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Intensive care medicine · Feb 2011
Multicenter StudyConstruction and psychometric testing of the EMPATHIC questionnaire measuring parent satisfaction in the pediatric intensive care unit.
To construct and test the reliability and validity of the EMpowerment of PArents in THe Intensive Care (EMPATHIC) questionnaire measuring parent satisfaction in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). ⋯ The final EMPATHIC questionnaire incorporates 65 statements. The empirical structure of the satisfaction statements and domains was satisfactory. The reliability and validity proved to be adequate. The EMPATHIC questionnaire is a valid quality performance indicator to measure quality of care as perceived by parents.
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Intensive care medicine · Feb 2011
Multicenter Study Comparative StudySepsis as a cause and consequence of acute kidney injury: Program to Improve Care in Acute Renal Disease.
Sepsis commonly contributes to acute kidney injury (AKI); however, the frequency with which sepsis develops as a complication of AKI and the clinical consequences of this sepsis are unknown. This study examined the incidence of, and outcomes associated with, sepsis developing after AKI. ⋯ Sepsis frequently develops after AKI and portends a poor prognosis, with high mortality rates and relatively long LOS. Future studies should evaluate techniques to monitor for and manage this complication to improve overall prognosis.
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Intensive care medicine · Feb 2011
A qualitative study exploring the experiences of parents of children admitted to seven Dutch pediatric intensive care units.
To explore parents' experiences during the admission of their children to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). ⋯ The findings provided a range of themes and subthemes describing the complexity of the parental experiences of a PICU admission. The subthemes present a systematic and thematic basis for the development of a quantitative instrument to measure parental experiences and satisfaction with care. The findings of this study have important clinical implications related to the deeper understanding of parental experiences and improving family-centered care.
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Intensive care medicine · Feb 2011
Short-term survival by treatment among patients hospitalized with acute heart failure: the global ALARM-HF registry using propensity scoring methods.
To date, treatment with intravenous (IV) agents such as vasodilators, diuretics, and inotropes has shown marginal or mixed benefits in acute heart failure (AHF) trials. The aim of this study was to identify the risks and benefits of IV drugs in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure. ⋯ In terms of in-hospital survival, a vasodilator in combination with a diuretic fared better than treatment with only a diuretic. Catecholamine inotropes should be used cautiously as it has been seen that they actually increase the risk for in-hospital mortality.