Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2008
Case ReportsDiscrepancy between inferior vena cava and right atrial oxygen saturations as a sign of ischemia in the mesenteric circulation.
We describe the case of a 72-year-old patient admitted to intensive care following abdominal surgery. Venous oxygen saturations from the right atrium and superior vena cava (SVC) showed large variation due to ongoing ischemia in the mesentric circulation. If trends in venous oxygen saturation are to be followed, serial samples must be taken from the same central venous catheter (CVC) port.
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2008
Multicenter StudyFactors predicting adherence to the Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines for nutrition support in mechanically ventilated, critically ill adult patients.
The aim of this study was to determine factors that are associated with adherence to the Canadian nutrition support clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). ⋯ Specific hospital, ICU, and patient characteristics influence adherence to the Canadian nutrition support CPGs. Further research is required to illuminate the mechanisms by which female and surgical patients and community hospitals lead to lower guideline adherence.
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2008
Multicenter StudyThe role of HIV infection and drug and alcohol dependence in hospital mortality among critically ill patients.
Critical care outcomes among HIV-infected patients have improved because of advances in HIV therapy and general improvements in intensive care unit (ICU) management. There is a high co-occurrence of drug and alcohol dependence among HIV-infected patients, and the independent role of drug and alcohol dependence among patients with and without HIV infection in outcomes of critical illness is unclear. ⋯ Although HIV infection is associated with increased hospital mortality, drug and alcohol dependence is not associated with an increased hospital mortality independent of HIV infection.
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2008
Characteristics and outcomes of patients receiving a medical emergency team review for respiratory distress or hypotension.
To describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients receiving a medical emergency team (MET) review for the MET syndromes of respiratory distress or hypotension and to assess the effect of delayed MET activation on their outcomes. ⋯ Patients receiving MET calls for respiratory distress or hypotension were elderly and had a mortality greater than 35%. In many cases, MET activation was delayed. This delay was associated with increased mortality.
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2008
Reducing pain in patients undergoing cardiac surgery after implementation of a quality improvement postoperative pain treatment program.
The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of a quality improvement postoperative pain treatment program after cardiac surgery. ⋯ After algorithm implementation in the SICU, pain intensity at rest decreased and quality of sleep improved.