Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2014
Observational StudyFeasibility of neuromuscular electrical stimulation in critically ill patients.
Critically ill patients often develop intensive care unit-acquired weakness. Reduction in muscle mass and muscle strength occurs early after admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Although early active muscle training could attenuate this intensive care unit-acquired weakness, in the early phase of critical illness, a large proportion of patients are unable to participate in any active mobilization. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) could be an alternative strategy for muscle training. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and feasibility of NMES in critically ill patients. ⋯ Critically ill patients having sepsis, edema, or receiving vasopressors were less likely to respond to NMES with an adequate quadriceps contraction. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation is a safe intervention to be administered in the ICU.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2014
The association of intensivists with failure-to-rescue rates in outlier hospitals: Results of a national survey of intensive care unit organizational characteristics.
Critical care is often an integral part of rescue for patients with surgical complications. We sought to understand critical care characteristics predictive of failure-to-rescue (FTR) performance at the hospital level. ⋯ Intensivists on the RRT and internists in the ICU may represent discrete organizational strategies for improving patient rescue. Hospitals with high Medicaid burden fare poorly on the FTR metric.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2014
Adipose tissue lipolysis and circulating lipids in acute and subacute critical illness: Effects of shock and treatment.
The purpose of this study is to assess lipid metabolism at the tissue level in critically ill subjects. ⋯ Subcutaneous tissue lipolysis is only one of the many determinants of plasma FFAs. Routinely applied therapeutic modalities in the ICU interfere with adipose tissue metabolism.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2014
Effect of corticosteroids on arginine vasopressin after pediatric cardiac surgery.
Arginine vasopressin's (AVP) efficacy in the treatment of refractory hypotension is, in part, dependent upon preinfusion endogenous AVP concentration. Corticosteroids, also commonly used to treat refractory hypotension, have been shown to suppress endogenous AVP release. We aimed to determine if corticosteroids affect endogenous AVP concentrations in children recovering from cardiac surgery. ⋯ Children who receive multiple doses of corticosteroids after cardiac surgery, regardless of potency, are likely to have low endogenous AVP concentrations. Children who remain unstable despite corticosteroids may respond favorably to exogenous AVP therapy.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2014
Observational StudyImpact of positive fluid balance on critically ill surgical patients: A prospective observational study.
The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of postoperative fluid balance (FB) on subsequent outcomes in acute care surgery (ACS) patients admitted to the surgical intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ In a cohort of critically ill ACS patients, achieving FB (-) status early during surgical ICU admission was associated with a nearly 70% reduction in the risk for mortality.