Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · May 2013
Incidence of milrinone blood levels outside the therapeutic range and their relevance in children after cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease.
To evaluate whether variability in milrinone blood levels (MBL) occurs during administration to critically ill children after surgical repair of congenital heart disease, and the clinical relevance of this variability. ⋯ In this cohort, nontherapeutic MBL were common. Further investigation of milrinone dosing recommendations may improve the postoperative outcomes of children.
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Intensive care medicine · May 2013
Validation of a new method based on ultrasound velocity dilution to measure cardiac output in paediatric patients.
To validate a novel method of ultrasound dilution (COstatus(®); Transonic Systems, Ithaca, NY) for measuring cardiac output in paediatric patients after biventricular repair of congenital heart disease. ⋯ Cardiac output by ultrasound dilution showed low bias with wide limits of agreement when compared to measurement derived by the Fick equation. Although measurements through central and peripheral arterial lines were completed with minimal difficulties in the majority of patients, the application of COstatus(®) in neonates with low body surface area may be limited.