Journal of intensive care medicine
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Intraabdominal infections are frequent and dangerous entity in intensive care units. Mortality and morbidity are high, causes are numerous, and treatment options are variable. ⋯ Current research describes a wide heterogeneity of patient populations, making it difficult to suggest a general treatment regimen and stressing the need of an individualized approach to decision making. Early focus-oriented intervention and antibiotic coverage tailored to the individual patient and hospital is warranted.
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J Intensive Care Med · Jul 2014
ReviewNew drugs and strategies for management of Clostridium difficile colitis.
Approaches for management of Clostridium difficile infection continually evolve as research reveals shifts in epidemiology, microbial pathogenesis, disease severity states, and response to therapy. These new discoveries significantly impact diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, given the high morbidity associated with this common nosocomial infectious diarrhea. ⋯ Early diagnosis of severe disease state may improve patient outcomes. In this article, we review treatment strategies and new approaches for the management of C. difficile in critically ill patients.
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Fluid management in critical illness has undergone extensive reevaluation in the past decade. Since a significant percentage of critically ill patients develop acute kidney injury (AKI), optimal fluid management is even more paramount to prevent the ill effects of either underhydration or overhydration. ⋯ A number of prospective randomized trials are planned to provide an adequately powered assessment of the effect of EGDT or earlier renal replacement therapy initiation in patients with, or at risk for AKI. The aim of this analytical review is to use existing clinical and physiological studies to support a 3-phase model of fluid management in the critically ill patient with AKI.
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J Intensive Care Med · May 2014
ReviewDiastolic heart failure: the current understanding and approach for management with focus on intensive care unit patients.
Multiple recent epidemiologic studies have highlighted the importance of diastolic heart failure (DHF) as a public health problem. Approximately half of patients presenting with symptomatic heart failure (HF) have DHF and they suffer from morbidity and mortality comparable to those with systolic HF. Our understanding of the pathophysiology of DHF has evolved rapidly over the last decade, and the associated echo-Doppler findings that assist with its diagnosis are greatly refined. ⋯ The purpose of this review is to provide an up-to-date summary of the concepts of the pathophysiology of DHF. In addition, we provide an overview of the diagnostic approaches, prognostic identifiers, and associated comorbidities that make DHF more resistant to manage with a focus of the patients admitted to the intensive care unit. The current approach to managing patients with DHF is also reviewed.
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J Intensive Care Med · May 2014
ReviewPatient origin is associated with duration of endotracheal intubation and PICU length of stay for children with status asthmaticus.
To describe intubation practices and duration of mechanical ventilation in children with status asthmaticus admitted from emergency departments (ERs) to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). ⋯ PATIENTS with status asthmaticus are more likely to be intubated when they are admitted from community hospital emergency rooms, although the duration of intubation and PICU stay is shorter.