Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2007
Multicenter StudyA multicenter survey of Ontario intensive care unit nurses regarding the use of sedatives and analgesics for adults receiving mechanical ventilation.
Nursing-directed sedation protocols have been shown to reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation and shorten the length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay among critically ill adult patients. ⋯ In this survey of ICU nurses, we identified a perceived need for improvement in sedation and analgesia practices. Most respondents believed that the use of a nursing-directed sedation protocol in combination with a sedation scoring system would provide greater practice consistency among nurses and physicians and thus improve the care of critically ill patients.
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2007
Family satisfaction in the intensive care unit: cross-cultural adaptation of a questionnaire.
Family needs and expectations are often unmet in the intensive care unit (ICU), leading to dissatisfaction. This study assesses cross-cultural adaptability of an instrument evaluating family satisfaction in the ICU. ⋯ A cross-cultural adaptation of a questionnaire on family satisfaction in the ICU can be feasible, valid, internally consistent, reliable, and sensitive.
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2007
Comparative StudyInvasive candidiasis treated in the intensive care unit: observations from a randomized clinical trial.
The objectives of this study were to contrast risk factors, microbiology, and outcomes in patients with invasive candidiasis treated in an intensive care unit (ICU) with those in patients with invasive candidiasis treated outside an ICU and to describe therapeutic results with caspofungin in ICU patients. ⋯ In ICU patients treated with antifungal therapy, invasive candidiasis is associated with substantial mortality, but most deaths cannot be directly attributed to this infection.
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2007
Sedation and weaning from mechanical ventilation: effects of process optimization outside a clinical trial.
We studied the effects of reorganization and changes in the care process, including use of protocols for sedation and weaning from mechanical ventilation, on the use of sedative and analgesic drugs and on length of respiratory support and stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ Changes in organizational and care processes were associated with an altered pattern of sedative and analgesic drug prescription, a decrease in length of (noninvasive) respiratory support and length of stay in survivors, and decreases in resource use as measured by TISS-28 and mortality.
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2007
Comparative StudyPerformance of heated wire humidifiers: an in vitro study.
We assessed the performance of heated wire humidifiers (HWHs), which should avoid water condensation in the circuit. ⋯ Heated wire humidifiers eliminate water condensation but present significant differences in gas temperature and AH levels that are lower than the expected settings.