Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2014
ReviewAct fast and ventilate soft: The Düsseldorf hands-on translation of the acute respiratory distress syndrome Berlin definition.
Early identification of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and forceful implementation of standardized therapy algorithms are the mandatory basis of an effective therapy to improve patient outcome. Recently, a new definition of ARDS was implemented, which simplified the diagnostic criteria for ARDS. ⋯ Lung-protective ventilation with high positive end-expiratory pressure and low tidal volume and early prone positioning in severe cases improve survival rate. We here present an integrated "Düsseldorf hands-on translation" in the form of a "one-page" standard operating procedure in order to fasten and standardize both diagnosis and therapeutic algorithms on an intensive care unit.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2014
ReviewCritically ill cancer patient in intensive care unit: Issues that arise.
Advances in the management of malignancies and organ failures have led to substantial increases in survival as well as in the number of cancer patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Although effectiveness of ICU in this group remains controversial, the heterogeneity of its population in terms of the nature and curability of their disease and the severity of critical illness and underlying conditions may explain the plethora of issues arising when considering cancer patients for ICU admission, especially from the view of limited resources and ICU beds. The most frequent reasons leading a cancer patient to ICU are postoperative, respiratory failure, infection, and sepsis. ⋯ A multidisciplinary treating team of physicians should aid in changing the goals from restorative to palliative care when there appears to be no possible benefit from any treatment. End-of life-decisions and code status should be made by consensus, based on patients' autonomy and dignity. Further interventional multicenter studies are required to assess post-ICU burden, long-term medical outcomes, and quality of life in this cohort of patients.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2014
Multicenter StudyMarkers of poor outcome in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.
This study described the acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) population and identified potential modifiable markers of outcome. ⋯ Lower baseline oxygenation (Pao2/Fio2) is a poor prognostic marker in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2014
Glasgow Coma Scale score dominates the association between admission Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score and 30-day mortality in a mixed intensive care unit population.
The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, a measure of multiple-organ dysfunction syndrome, is used to predict mortality in critically ill patients by assigning equally weighted scores across 6 different organ systems. We hypothesized that specific organ systems would have a greater association with mortality than others. ⋯ In a mixed population of critically ill patients, the Glasgow Coma Scale score dominates the association between admission SOFA score and 30-day mortality. Future research into outcomes from multiple-organ dysfunction may benefit from new models for measuring organ dysfunction with special attention to neurologic dysfunction.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2014
Observational StudyDifficult peripheral venous access: Clinical evaluation of a catheter inserted with the Seldinger method under ultrasound guidance.
A preliminary observational study was undertaken to evaluate the risk of failure of ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous catheterization of a deep arm vein for a maximum of 7 days, after peripheral intravenous (PIV) cannulation failure. ⋯ Our results suggest that catheters inserted with the Seldinger method are adapted to prolonged peripheral deep-vein infusion. Ultrasound can play a role in catheter monitoring by identifying early thrombosis formation.