Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2014
ReviewRisks of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in undiagnosed intensive care unit pneumococcal pneumonia: Younger and more severely affected patients.
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether exposure to nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) at the early stage of severe pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission may affect its presentation and outcome. ⋯ We report as severe pneumococcal pneumonia in young and healthy patients exposed to NSAIDs as in older, more comorbid, and nonexposed ones. Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug use may mask initial symptoms and delay antimicrobial therapy, thus predisposing to worse outcomes.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2014
Observational StudyDiagnostic accuracy of central venous saturation in estimating mixed venous saturation is proportional to cardiac performance among cardiac surgical patients.
Advanced hemodynamic monitoring in cardiac surgery translates into improvement in outcomes. We evaluated the relationship between central venous (ScvO2) and mixed venous (SvO2) saturations over the early postoperative period. The adequacy of their interchangeability was tested in patients with varying degrees of cardiac performance. ⋯ The diagnostic accuracy of ScvO2 for estimating SvO2 is proportional to cardiac performance. A negative SvO2-ScvO2 gradient at T2 correlated with inotropic support requirement, higher operative risk score, age, lactate level, and duration of cardiopulmonary bypass.
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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.