Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jul 2017
Rational Clinical Pathology Assessment in the Intensive Care Unit.
Blood tests are ordered on a daily basis in intensive care units (ICU). There are no widely accepted guidelines for testing requirements. This study investigated the impact on ICU laboratory test costs of a multi-strategy change in practice involving routine blood testing. ⋯ Two protocol-related adverse events were recorded and judged as minor and were resolved by ordering tests during the day. No adverse patient outcomes resulted from these two events. Blood testing authorisation by an ICU specialist was associated with significant cost savings in ICU and no adverse patient outcomes.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jul 2017
Anaesthetic management of patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for pseudomyxoma peritonei: a retrospective audit.
Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has been shown to improve quality of life and survival rates in patients suffering from pseudomyxoma peritonei. The procedure is long and associated with significant intraoperative blood loss. As such, the anaesthetic management of patients undergoing this procedure can be challenging. ⋯ No statistically significant difference in blood loss was seen between patients who received tranexamic acid (30 patients, 42.9%) and those who did not, but the incidence of deep venous thrombosis was much higher (10/30 versus 1/40). Different intravenous fluid strategies appeared not to influence the incidence of postoperative acute renal failure. Further research is required to evaluate the effects of intraoperative tranexamic acid and different intraoperative fluid strategies on outcomes in patients undergoing CRS with HIPEC.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jul 2017
Primary prevention in the intensive care unit: a prospective single-centre study of the risk factors for invasive pneumococcal disease.
Invasive pneumococcal disease is a significant health burden in Australia, with immunisation recommended for children and at-risk adults. Health benefits of immunisation are clear, but less effective when immunisation rates are low, as in Western Australia. We hypothesised that patients admitted unplanned to the intensive care unit (ICU) would have high eligibility for pneumococcal immunisation, but low rates of recorded vaccine administration. ⋯ Fifty-four of 119 admitted patients (45%) were assessed as eligible for immunisation after ICU discharge. ICU survivors represent a high-risk population for which intervention against modifiable targets, such as invasive pneumococcal disease, may reduce both their chronic health burden and future health expenditure. Future efforts should concentrate on assessing the feasibility of a screening program for modifiable factors in ICU survivors, and the logistics of delivering these interventions in a timely manner during their hospital stay.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jul 2017
Fluid resuscitation in critically ill patients-timing and dose matters.
Fluid management is a complex subject in healthcare, particularly when pertaining to critically ill patients. Following a literature search on international recommendations regarding fluid administration for shocked patients, an audit was undertaken at Rotorua Public Hospital, New Zealand, to assess how the local fluid resuscitation strategy could be improved. The first part of the audit looked at the fluid resuscitation approach used to treat shocked patients admitted to the ICU of Rotorua Hospital in 2014 and changes required to achieve best practice recommendations. ⋯ Data was extracted from patient files, fluid charts and electronic records to assess fluid administration and de-escalation measures. The collated information was analysed and compared to recommendations found in the literature. The complete audit cycle revealed not only a significant improvement in adherence to best practice guidelines, but also an association with better patient outcomes.