Critical care clinics
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Acute encephalitis remains one of the contemporary challenges of critical care medicine. The diagnosis is difficult and sometimes unconfirmed, and encephalitis remains without clear evidence-based therapies or even therapeutic goals for the prevention of high neurologic sequelae. ⋯ It provides an in-depth review of the most common causes of encephalitis in children. The article promotes early recognition, appropriate testing and empiric treatment, and management of the expected complications of acute encephalitis.
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Critical care clinics · Apr 2013
ReviewPediatric traumatic brain injury in 2012: the year with new guidelines and common data elements.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains the leading cause of death of children in the developing world. In 2012, several international efforts were completed to aid clinicians and researchers in advancing the field of pediatric TBI. ⋯ This article highlights the processes involved in developing the Guidelines, contrasts the new guidelines with the previous edition, and delineates new research efforts needed to advance knowledge. The impact of common data elements within these potential new research fields is reviewed.
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Critical care clinics · Apr 2013
ReviewCommon endocrine issues in the pediatric intensive care unit.
Thyroid hormone is central to normal development and metabolism. Abnormalities in thyroid function in North America often arise from autoimmune diseases, but they rarely present as critical illness. Severe deficiency or excess of thyroid hormone both represent life-threatening disease, which must be treated expeditiously and thoroughly. Such deficiencies must be considered, because presentation may be nonspecific.
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Sepsis remains an important challenge in pediatric critical care medicine. This review provides an appraisal of adjunctive therapies for sepsis and highlights opportunities for meeting selected challenges in the field. ⋯ Potential adjunctive therapies such as corticosteroids, hemofiltration, hemoadsorption, and plasmapheresis may have important roles, but still require formal and more rigorous testing by way of clinical trials. Finally, the design of future clinical trials should consider novel approaches for stratifying outcome risks as a means of improving the risk-to-benefit ratio of experimental therapies.
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Critical care clinics · Apr 2013
ReviewAnemia and transfusion in critically ill pediatric patients: a review of etiology, management, and outcomes.
This article describes the incidence and etiology of anemia in critically ill children. In addition, the article details the pathophysiology and clinical ramifications of anemia in this population. The use of transfused packed red blood cells as a therapy for anemia in critically ill patients is also discussed, including the indications for and complications associated with this practice as well as potential reasons for these complications. Finally, the article lists some therapeutic practices that may lessen the risks associated with transfusion, and briefly discusses the use of blood substitutes.