Intensive care medicine
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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.
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Intensive care medicine · Apr 2015
Measuring diaphragm thickness with ultrasound in mechanically ventilated patients: feasibility, reproducibility and validity.
Ultrasound measurements of diaphragm thickness (T di) and thickening (TFdi) may be useful to monitor diaphragm activity and detect diaphragm atrophy in mechanically ventilated patients. We aimed to establish the reproducibility of measurements in ventilated patients and determine whether passive inflation by the ventilator might cause thickening apart from inspiratory effort. ⋯ Ultrasound measurements of right hemidiaphragm thickness are feasible and highly reproducible in ventilated patients. At clinically relevant inspiratory volumes, diaphragm thickening reflects muscular contraction and not passive inflation. This technique can be reliably employed to monitor diaphragm thickness, activity, and function during mechanical ventilation.