Journal of critical care
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In the past 2 decades, societal spending on health care has become an international concern. The United States currently spends more than 1.6 trillion dollars per year on health care--approximately 15% of the gross domestic product. ⋯ Economic evaluation can aid policy makers and health care professionals in comparing the relative and incremental value of disparate and expensive therapies and also inform decisions about which interventions provide good value for the health care dollar. In this review, we will highlight landmark publications over the past decades that have helped to shape the field of economic evaluations for critical care medicine.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2005
Simple vs complex radionuclide methods of assessing capillary protein permeability for diagnosing acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Using injection of gallium Ga 67 transferrin, technetium Tc 99m red cells, probes over the lungs, and blood samples, a pulmonary leak index (PLI) and pulmonary transcapillary escape rate (PTCER) for transferrin can be measured. This may help differentiating between cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE) and permeability (noncardiogenic) pulmonary edema of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the relative importance of red cell labeling, blood sampling, and probe measurements in this assessment. ⋯ The diagnostic value of the simple blood TER of (67)Ga-transferrin is similar to that of complex methods, using (99m)Tc-red cells and probe measurements over the lungs, because the complex methods largely depend on the blood TER. Simplification of the method without red cell labeling and probes may facilitate bedside use to diagnose permeability edema of ARDS, particularly in the absence of a pulmonary artery catheter.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2005
Case ReportsTreatment of severe coagulopathy after gunshot injury to the head using recombinant activated factor VII.
Patients with severe penetrating head injury often have a coagulopathy that is difficult to correct. In this report, we describe 3 such patients who were treated with activated factor VII (FVIIa) to stop ongoing hemorrhage that was refractory to conventional treatment. ⋯ In patients with a severe head injury and coagulopathy, use of FVIIa may help in correction of coagulopathy and decrease transfusion requirements. In patients where ongoing bleeding precludes the declaration of brain death, the use of this agent might help in achieving hemodynamic stability and preserve the possibility of organ donation. The ethical implications of using FVIIa in this situation are discussed.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2005
Comparative StudyA comparison of the rate of bacterial contamination for prefilled disposable and reusable oxygen humidifiers.
Prefilled disposable oxygen humidifiers are considered to prevent nosocomial pneumonia in hospital wards. However, their usefulness in intensive care units (ICUs) has not yet been established. In this study, we evaluated and compared contamination in prefilled disposable oxygen humidifiers and that in reusable oxygen humidifiers. ⋯ In the ICU, bacterial contamination does not occur in oxygen humidifiers even after 56 days of continuous use. However, dust does accumulate in the reusable oxygen humidifier after 35 days of continuous use.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2005
Is regional citrate superior to systemic heparin anticoagulation for continuous renal replacement therapy? A prospective observational study in an adult regional critical care system.
Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is commonly used in the care of critically ill patients although the optimal means of anticoagulation is not well defined. We report our regional CRRT protocol that was developed using the principles of quality improvement and compare the effect of regional citrate with systemic heparin anticoagulation on filter life span. ⋯ Regional citrate anticoagulation was associated with prolonged filter survival and increased completion of scheduled filter life span compared with heparin. These data support small studies suggesting that citrate is a superior anticoagulant for CRRT and suggest the need for a future definitive randomized controlled trial.