Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2013
A conceptual approach to improving care in pandemics and beyond: severe lung injury centers.
The events of the 2009 influenza pandemic sparked discussion regarding the need to optimize delivery of care to those most severely ill. We propose in this conceptual study that a tiered regionalization care system be instituted for patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. Such system would be a component of national pandemic plans and could also be used in day-to-day operations.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2013
Drug-drug interactions contributing to QT prolongation in cardiac intensive care units.
To determine the most common drug-drug interaction (DDI) pairs contributing to QTc prolongation in cardiac intensive care units (ICUs). ⋯ DDIs may be a significant cause of QT prolongation in cardiac ICUs. These data can be used to educate clinicians on safe medication use. Computerized clinical decision support could be applied to aid in the detection of these events.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2013
Cerebral desaturation events in the intensive care unit following cardiac surgery.
Patients may be at high risk for hemodynamic instability in the early postoperative period, with subsequent poor cerebral perfusion and the development of postoperative cerebral oxygen desaturation events (CDEs). Intraoperative CDEs have been associated with postoperative adverse events. However, none of these studies examined the incidence of early postoperative cerebral desaturations. This study was designed to identify the incidence of CDEs (defined as a decrease in SctO2 to less than 60% for at least 60 seconds) in the immediate postoperative period following cardiac surgery. ⋯ A high incidence of CDEs (53%) was found in the early post-cardiac surgery period. Larger studies are needed to determine whether postoperative CDEs are correlated with various physiologic events or are associated with adverse patient outcomes.