Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Aug 2018
Assessing predictive accuracy for outcomes of ventilator-associated events in an international cohort: the EUVAE study.
To analyze the impact on patient outcome of ventilator-associated events (VAEs) as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2008, 2013, and the correlation with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) or tracheobronchitis (VAT). ⋯ Respiratory infections (mainly VAT) were the most common complication. VAE algorithms only identified events with surrogates of severe oxygenation deterioration. As a consequence, IVAC definitions missed one fourth of the episodes of VAP and three fourths of the episodes of VAT. Identifying VAT (often missed by IVAC-plus criteria) is important, as VAP and VAT have different impacts on mortality.
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Intensive care medicine · Aug 2018
Intensive care support and clinical outcomes of patients with Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa.
We investigate the impact on outcome of different levels of supportive treatment in Ebola virus disease (EVD). The NGO EMERGENCY delivered care sequentially at two Ebola Treatment Centres (ETC) in Sierra Leone: first at Lakka (fluids, symptomatic, antibiotic, antimalaria treatment, and hospital level medical care), and thereafter in Goderich, adding organ support in the only African ETC with an equipped and staffed intensive care unit (ETC-ICU). ⋯ Provision of critical care to patients with EVD is feasible in resource-limited settings and was associated with improved survival and less time in hospital.
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Intensive care medicine · Aug 2018
Review Meta AnalysisOptic nerve sheath diameter measured sonographically as non-invasive estimator of intracranial pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Although invasive intracranial devices (IIDs) are the gold standard for intracranial pressure (ICP) measurement, ultrasonography of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) has been suggested as a potential non-invasive ICP estimator. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of sonographic ONSD measurement for assessment of intracranial hypertension (IH) in adult patients. ⋯ Although the wide 95% CI in our pooled DOR suggests caution, ultrasonographic ONSD may be a potentially useful approach for assessing IH when IIDs are not indicated or available (CRD42018089137, PROSPERO).
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Intensive care medicine · Aug 2018
Association of iron status with the risk of bloodstream infections: results from the prospective population-based HUNT Study in Norway.
As iron is essential for both immune function and microbial growth, alterations in iron status could influence the risk of infections. We assessed the associations of iron status with risk of bloodstream infections (BSIs) and BSI mortality. ⋯ Indices of severe iron deficiency are associated with an increased risk of a future BSI.