Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Apr 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialProbiotic prophylaxis to prevent ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) in children on mechanical ventilation: an open-label randomized controlled trial.
Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most common nosocomial infections in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). It is associated with increased mortality and prolonged hospital stay. Several preventive strategies have been introduced to reduce VAP. One novel intervention is prophylactic administration of probiotics. Studies on the effect of probiotics on VAP in pediatric populations are lacking. ⋯ Prophylactic probiotics administration resulted in reduction of the incidence of VAP in critically ill children in a setting where baseline VAP rates are high. The intervention was found to be safe.
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Intensive care medicine · Apr 2015
Review Historical ArticleThe tens of thousands of lives saved by randomized clinical trials in critical care.
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Intensive care medicine · Apr 2015
Multicenter Study Observational StudyOutcome of acute mesenteric ischemia in the intensive care unit: a retrospective, multicenter study of 780 cases.
In the intensive care unit (ICU), the outcomes of patients with acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) are poorly documented. This study aimed to determine the risk factors for death in ICU patients with AMI. ⋯ Acute mesenteric ischemia in ICU patients was associated with a 58 % ICU death rate. Age and SOFA severity score at diagnosis were risk factors for mortality. Plasma lactate concentration over 2.7 mmol/l was also an independent risk factor, but values in the normal range did not exclude the diagnosis of AMI.