Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Jan 1991
Short- and long-term prognosis, functional outcome following ICU for elderly.
Among 1532 ICU patients we analysed 295 elderly patients (19%) aged more than 70-years-old. We determined prospectively the immediate and subsequent one-year outcome with a study of the predictive value of their ICU admission parameters. ⋯ On ICU discharge, 216 elderly were followed at 1, 6, 12 months; the one-year cumulative mortality was 49% from ICU discharge, majority of deaths occurring over the first month. Age, previous health status and SAPS had a predictor value of one-year mortality for ICU survivors. 103 patients were alive at one year: 88% returned to home, 72% had a relatively good functional status allowing an independent life, and 82% had the same or improved functional status.
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Intensive care medicine · Jan 1991
Outcome prediction of acute renal failure in medical intensive care.
Data acquired prospectively from 134 patients with acute renal failure requiring dialysis in a medical intensive care unit (ICU) were analysed in order to derive indicators predicting ICU-survival. Mortality in the ICU was 56.7%. ⋯ On the other hand, the total correct classification rates achieved by a standardised system for scoring ICU-patients (APACHE II) did not exceed 58.2%. It is concluded that outcome prediction by APACHE II and even by the discriminant functions is too inaccurate to become the basis for clinical decisions either concerning the initiation or the continuation of dialysis treatment in ARF.
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To clarify the clinical nature of post-resuscitation hyperthermia, we reviewed the charts of 18 patients who had cardiac arrest on arrival and regained cardiovascular stability for a study period of sufficient length. Patients with trauma, burns, poisoning and cerebrovascular accidents were excluded. We analyzed the hyperthermia (above 38 degrees C) occurring in the initial 48 h after resuscitation. ⋯ The incidence of factors influencing body temperature did not differ between the brain death and prolonged coma groups. Patients achieving full recovery did not show hyperthermia. In conclusion, hyperthermia is an early indicator of brain damage after resuscitation.
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Intensive care medicine · Jan 1991
An objective method to evaluate rationing of pediatric intensive care beds.
Rationing of pediatric intensive care beds occurs when the severity of illness of patients admitted to and discharged from the PICU is inversely proportional to the number of available PICU beds. Bed rationing may also increase the proportion of patients using unique PICU therapies, thereby increasing efficiency. Consecutive PICU admissions (n = 283) were evaluated for three months for descriptive data, daily severity of illness, and daily care modalities. ⋯ Severity of illness for patients admitted when only one bed was available or discharged when there were no available beds was not higher than at other times. Therefore, we did not find evidence of rationing of pediatric intensive care by using quantitative methods. As health care funding becomes more limited, quantitative analyses such as this study differentiating the need for more PICU beds from the need for better PICU bed utilization will be beneficial.
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Intensive care medicine · Jan 1991
High frequency jet ventilation and upper tracheal stenosis: a model study.
A chest-lung model, consisting of a human laryngo-tracheo-bronchial tree cast (4 or 5 bronchial generations) tightly enclosed in a 100 l rigid box was used to assess the potential efficiency of high frequency jet ventilation in patients with upper tracheal stenosis. The elasticity of the air in the box stimulated normal adult chest-lung compliance. Diaphragms (0.5 or 1.5 cm thick) were inserted into the upper trachea to simulate stenoses of 0.7, 1, 1.5 and 1.75 cm inner diameter. ⋯ When the diameter of the stenosis was higher than 1.5 cm no changes in PA--PEEP and VT were observed, owing to the narrowest section of the larynx. Vec was always higher than Vem. The thickness of the stenosis did not affect the results, and the diameter of the stenosis appeared to be the main factor affecting the ventilatory parameters under our experimental conditions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)