Critical care clinics
-
Acute renal failure in critically ill patients is a growing clinical problem. Options for renal replacement therapy in these patients use convective and diffusive clearance and may be intermittent, as in classic hemodialysis, or continuous. ⋯ It may be that renal replacement therapy needs to be tailored to the needs of each individual patient. Current and future research studies should provide the answers to many of these questions.
-
An advanced understanding of acid-base physiology is central to the practice of critical care medicine. Intensivists spend much of their time managing problems that are related to fluids, electrolytes, and blood pH. ⋯ All changes in blood pH, in health and in disease, occur through changes in these three variables. This article reviews the physical-chemical approach to acid-base balance and considers clinical implications for these findings.