Critical care clinics
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Critical care clinics · Jul 1989
ReviewMultiple systems organ failure (MSOF): lessons learned from the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
The relationship between ARDS and MSOF is explored. Models include that ARDS represents only one organ failing in MSOF, or that MSOF is a complication of ARDS owing to the development of infection and sepsis syndrome in these patients. Data are reviewed suggesting an important role of infection and sepsis syndrome in both models.
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Critical care clinics · Jul 1989
ReviewPericarditis, pericardial effusion, cardiac tamponade, and constriction.
Critical care aspects of pericardial disease are covered, including diagnosis and differential diagnosis of acute pericarditis, pericardial effusion with and without cardiac tamponade, constrictive pericarditis and effusive-constrictive pericarditis. Emphasis is placed on clinical signs and the important invasive and noninvasive diagnostic procedures, particularly various imaging methods (emphasis on echocardiography), electrocardiography, and cardiac catheterization. Medical and surgical therapies are reviewed, and the technique of pericardiocentesis is presented.
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Cardiac surgical emergencies are broken down into three categories: cardiac trauma, aortic dissection, and surgery for acute myocardial infarctions. Emphasis is given to describing the presentation of patients with such problems, and to the salient aspects of the clinical strategies for managing each problem. An important goal of each section is focusing the critical care physician on the early recognition of cardiac surgical emergencies and providing him with some rationale for instituting an expeditious plan of therapy.