Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2013
Complement C3 depletion links to the expansion of regulatory T cells and compromises T-cell immunity in human abdominal sepsis: A prospective pilot study.
Complement depletion commonly occurred in septic patients, but this problem was often underestimated during the treatment process. This study was designed to determine the association between complement depletion and T-cell immunosuppression. ⋯ Complement C3 depletion was found to be linked to the expansion of Tregs during abdominal sepsis. Such depletion and associated immunosuppression should be paid close attention in the critical care.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2013
Real-time sample entropy predicts life-saving interventions after the Boston Marathon bombing.
Identifying patients in need of a life-saving intervention (LSI) during a mass casualty event is a priority. We hypothesized that real-time, instantaneous sample entropy (SampEn) could predict the need for LSI in the Boston Marathon bombing victims. ⋯ Sample entropy strongly correlates with injury severity and predicts LSI after blast injuries sustained in the Boston Marathon bombings. Sample entropy may be a useful triage tool after blast injury.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2013
Assessment of right ventricular functions in patients with sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock and its prognostic importance: A tissue Doppler study.
This study aims to investigate the potential contributions of the right ventricle (RV) performance evaluated using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) on the assessment of the severity and prognosis of sepsis. ⋯ Our study shows that the RV dysfunction evaluated using TDI, particularly the RV-Sm and MPI values, were related with the severity of sepsis and mortality.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2013
Observational StudyElectronic bed weighing vs daily fluid balance changes after cardiac surgery.
The purpose of this study is to establish the validity and reliability of measuring weight in critically ill patients with electronic weighing beds. ⋯ Body weight measured by electronic weighing beds does not seem sufficiently robust or accurate to replace daily FB in ICU. The clinical value of purchasing such beds remains uncertain.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2013
Elevated asymmetric dimethylarginine levels predict short- and long-term mortality risk in critically ill patients.
Serum concentrations of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, may contribute to endothelial dysfunction and organ failure in sepsis. We aimed at investigating ADMA levels as a potential diagnostic or prognostic biomarker in critically ill patients. ⋯ Serum ADMA concentrations are significantly elevated in critically ill patients, associated with organ failure and related to short- and long-term mortality risk.