Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Jun 2014
Multicenter StudyA multicenter study of septic shock due to candidemia: outcomes and predictors of mortality.
Candida is the most common cause of severe yeast infections worldwide, especially in critically ill patients. In this setting, septic shock attributable to Candida is characterized by high mortality rates. The aim of this multicenter study was to investigate the determinants of outcome in critically ill patients with septic shock due to candidemia. ⋯ A total of 216 patients (mean age 63.4 ± 18.5 years; 58.3 % males) were included in the study. Of these, 163 (75 %) were admitted to the intensive care unit. Overall 30-day mortality was 54 %. Significantly higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores, dysfunctional organs, and inadequate antifungal therapy were compared in nonsurvivors and survivors. No differences in survivors versus nonsurvivors were found in terms of the time from positive blood culture to initiation of adequate antifungal therapy. Multivariate logistic regression identified inadequate source control, inadequate antifungal therapy, and 1-point increments in the APACHE II score as independent variables associated with a higher 30-day mortality rate.
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Intensive care medicine · Jun 2014
Erratum to: Clinical practice guideline on diagnosis and treatment of hyponatraemia.
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major public health concern, but data regarding epidemiology of this disease in Western European countries are outdated.This study reports the first results from a large registry of SCD. ⋯ Despite being conducted in the therapeutic hypothermia and early coronary angiogram era,hospital discharge survival rate of resuscitated SCD remains poor. The current registry suggests ways to improve pre-hospital and in-hospital care of these patients.
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Intensive care medicine · Jun 2014
International guideline development for the determination of death.
This report summarizes the results of the first phase in the development of international guidelines for death determination, focusing on the biology of death and the dying process, developed by an invitational forum of international content experts and representatives of a number of professional societies. ⋯ Precise terminology was developed in order to improve clarity in death discussion and debate. Critical events in the physiological sequences leading to cessation of neurological and/or circulatory function were constructed. It was agreed that death determination is primarily clinical and recommendations for preconditions, confounding factors, minimum clinical standards and additional testing were made. A single operational definition of human death was developed: 'the permanent loss of capacity for consciousness and all brainstem functions, as a consequence of permanent cessation of circulation or catastrophic brain injury'. In order to complete the project, in the next phase, a broader group of international stakeholders will develop clinical practice guidelines, based on comprehensive reviews and grading of the existing evidence.
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Intensive care medicine · Jun 2014
Blood glucose level and outcome after cardiac arrest: insights from a large registry in the hypothermia era.
The influence of blood glucose (BG) level during the post-resuscitation period after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is still debated. To evaluate the relationship between blood glucose level and outcome, we included the median glycemia and its maximal amplitude over the first 48 h following ICU admission in an analysis of outcome predictors. ⋯ We observed a relationship between high blood glucose level and outcome after cardiac arrest. These results suggest the need to test a strategy combining both control of glycemia and minimization of glycemic variations for its ability to improve post-resuscitation care.
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Incidence of ICU events is mostly measured in one of two ways which differ by the denominator only. Either the number of incident events divided by the number of ICU patients is reported or the number of incident events per 1,000 ICU days is calculated. ⋯ We demonstrate how to connect the two measures of incidence. The conclusion is that so-called 'competing incidences' should also be reported.