Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2013
Multicenter StudyLength of stay and mortality due to Clostridium difficile infection acquired in the intensive care unit.
The purpose of this study was to determine the attributable intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay and mortality of ICU-acquired Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). ⋯ C difficile infection acquired in ICU is associated with an increase in length of ICU and hospital stay but not with any difference in ICU or hospital mortality.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2013
Multicenter StudyImpaired gastrointestinal transit and its associated morbidity in the intensive care unit.
To determine the proportion of critically ill adults developing impaired gastrointestinal transit (IGT) using a clinically pragmatic definition, its associated morbidity and risk factors. ⋯ Traditional definitions of constipation or ileus in intensive care unit patients are simplistic and lack clinical relevance. Pragmatically defined IGT is a common complication of critical illness and is associated with significant morbidity. Future interventional studies for IGT in critically ill adults should use a more clinically relevant definition and evaluate energy deficits and lengths of stay as clinically relevant outcomes.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2013
Capture-mark-recapture as a tool for estimating the number of articles available for systematic reviews in critical care medicine.
Systematic reviews are an important knowledge synthesis tool for critical care medicine clinicians and researchers. With new literature available each day, reviewers must balance identifying all relevant literature against timely synthesis. We therefore sought to apply capture-mark-recapture, a novel methodology, to estimate the population of articles available for a systematic review of effective patient rounding practices in critical care medicine. ⋯ The capture-mark-recapture technique can be applied to systematic reviews in critical care medicine with heterogeneous study methodologies to estimate the population of articles available. Capture-mark-recapture may help clinicians who use systematic reviews to estimate search completeness and researchers who perform systematic reviews to develop more efficient literature search strategies.
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The aim of this study was to assess the association of phosphate concentration with key clinical outcomes in a heterogeneous cohort of critically ill patients. ⋯ Hypophosphatemia behaves like a general marker of illness severity and not as an independent predictor of ICU or in-hospital mortality in critically ill patients.