Intensive care medicine
-
Intensive care medicine · Feb 2000
Mitigation of endotoxin-induced acute lung injury in ventilated rabbits by surfactant and inhaled nitric oxide.
To evaluate the efficacy of surfactant and inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) in endotoxin-induced acute lung injury (ALI). ⋯ Early application of surfactant and iNO moderately mitigated ALI as reflected by improvement of lung mechanics, pulmonary perfusion and morphology.
-
Intensive care medicine · Feb 2000
Case ReportsTransient EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia in a patient with sepsis.
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia (EDTA-PTCP) is the phenomenon of a spurious low platelet count due to antiplatelet antibodies that cause platelet clumping in blood anticoagulated with EDTA. We describe a case of EDTA-PTCP that appeared transiently with the development of sepsis. ⋯ EDTA-PTCP appeared with the development of sepsis, and disappeared with its resolution. To avoid incorrect diagnoses and inappropriate treatment, EDTA-PTCP should always be considered as a possible cause of reported low platelet counts, even in patients with sepsis.
-
Intensive care medicine · Feb 2000
Editorial CommentRevisiting the Glasgow Coma Scale and Coma Score.
-
Despite advances in critical care medicine, mortality from sepsis in ICU patients remains high. In response to several infectious and non-infectious stimuli, monocytes/ macrophages release a number of mediators, including cytokines, involved in the proinflammatory response that underlies sepsis. The excessive release of these mediators results in the development of whole body inflammation, and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of sepsis and septic shock. ⋯ The latter is associated with immunodeficiency that is characterised by monocytic deactivation, so-called immunoparalysis. Interferon gamma-1 b has an immunoregulatory effect in patients with immunoparalysis during the compensatory anti-inflammatory response syndrome, not only restoring levels of HLA-DR expression but also reestablishing the ability of monocytes to secrete cytokines such as TNF-alpha. By monitoring immune status in septic patients, targeted intervention may lead to more success in immunomodulation of sepsis.