Critical care clinics
-
Critical care clinics · Jul 2003
ReviewPediatric cardiopulmonary-cerebral resuscitation: an overview and future directions.
The evolving understanding of pathophysiologic events during and after pediatric cardiac arrest has not yet resulted in significantly improved outcome. Exciting breakthroughs in basic and applied science laboratories are, however, on the immediate horizon for study in specific subpopulations of cardiac arrest victims. Strategically focusing therapies to specific phases of cardiac arrest and resuscitation and evolving pathophysiologic events offers great promise that critical care interventions will lead the way to more successful cardiopulmonary and cerebral resuscitation in children.
-
Continuous renal replacement therapy is an effective means for fluid and solute management in ARF/MOSF. Prospective studies have examined issues of anticoagulation, the impact of replacement/dialysis, the effects of bicarbonate-versus lactate-based solutions, and nutritional and medication clearance. ⋯ The authors, examining the issues as an intensivist and as a nephrologist, believe that early institution, aggressive replacement/dialysis, and use of citrate-based replacement fluids provide substantive advantages. With the advent of Ronco's recent data on sepsis managed with filtration and plasma absorption, the indication for use of CRRT in MOSF may become more evident regardless of the presence or absence of ARF.
-
In pediatric trauma care, many long-held tenets of management have been revised. This article reviews the latest advances in pediatric trauma care, particularly in the areas of resuscitation and management of thoracic and abdominal injuries. The final topic is a discussion of what the intensivist and surgeon must know when caring for the pediatric victim of terrorist attacks.