Journal of intensive care medicine
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J Intensive Care Med · May 2015
SpO2/FiO2 ratio on hospital admission is an indicator of early acute respiratory distress syndrome development among patients at risk.
Oxygen saturation to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio (SpO(2)/FiO(2)) has been validated as a surrogate marker for partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio among mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The validity of SpO(2)/FiO(2) measurements in predicting ARDS has not been studied. Recently, a Lung Injury Prediction Score (LIPS) has been developed to help identify patients at risk of developing ARDS. ⋯ The SpO2/FiO2, measured within the first 6 hours after hospital admission, is an independent indicator of ARDS development among patients at risk.
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J Intensive Care Med · Apr 2015
The Impact of Implementation of an ICU Consult Service on Hospital-Wide Outcomes and ICU-Specific Outcomes.
Rapid response teams (RRTs) were developed to promote assessment of and early intervention for clinically deteriorating hospitalized patients. Although the ideal composition of RRTs is not known, their implementation does require significant resources. ⋯ Implementation of an ICU consult service without any formal afferent limb training was associated with decreased mortality and 14-day readmission rates of patients admitted to the ICU. In contrast, hospital-wide mortality and code blue rates were unaffected.
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J Intensive Care Med · Mar 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialA randomized, double-blind pilot study of dexmedetomidine versus midazolam for intensive care unit sedation: patient recall of their experiences and short-term psychological outcomes.
Sedation with dexmedetomidine may facilitate ventilator liberation and limit the occurrence of delirium. No trial has assessed patient recall or the development of psychological outcomes after dexmedetomidine sedation. This pilot study evaluated whether transitioning benzodiazepine sedation to dexmedetomidine alters patient recall and the incidence of anxiety, depression, or acute stress disorder (ASD). ⋯ Transitioning benzodiazepine sedation to dexmedetomidine when patients qualify for daily awakenings may reduce the development of delirium and facilitate remembrance of ICU experiences but may lead to manifestations of ASD. Monitoring hypotension is required for both the sedatives. Additional comparative studies focusing on the long-term impact of ICU recall and psychological outcomes are needed.
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J Intensive Care Med · Mar 2015
ReviewEthical considerations in consenting critically ill patients for bedside clinical care and research.
Care of critically ill patients, as in any other field, demands the exercise of ethical principles related to respect of patient's autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and distributive justice. Professional duty and the common law require doctors to obtain consent before giving treatment or for requesting participation in clinical research. A procedure or research study must be adequately explained, and the patient must have the capacity to consent. ⋯ In the case of clinical research, informed consent must always be sought. Exemptions to this rule are morally justified in circumstances related to research in life-threatening conditions or life-saving interventions in which the investigator departs from sound principles of equipoise. This usually implies the imposition of safeguards such as consultation with the community in which the study were to take place, oversight in patient screening and recruitment process by institutional review boards, special study designs, retrospective and prospective consent processes, and independent safety monitoring.
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Thyroid storm, an endocrine emergency first described in 1926, remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. No laboratory abnormalities are specific to thyroid storm, and the available scoring system is based on the clinical criteria. The exact mechanisms underlying the development of thyroid storm from uncomplicated hyperthyroidism are not well understood. ⋯ Patients who fail medical therapy should be treated with therapeutic plasma exchange or thyroidectomy. The mortality of thyroid storm is currently reported at 10%. Patients who have survived thyroid storm should receive definite therapy for their underlying hyperthyroidism to avoid any recurrence of this potentially fatal condition.