Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2014
Review Historical ArticleHistory of brain death as death: 1968 to the present.
The concept of brain death was formulated in 1968 in the landmark report A Definition of Irreversible Coma. While brain death has been widely accepted as a determination of death throughout the world, many of the controversies that surround it have not been settled. Some may be rooted in a misconstruction about the history of brain death. ⋯ Since 1968, the concept of brain death has been extensively analyzed, debated, and reworked. Still there remains much misunderstanding and confusion, especially in the general public. In this comprehensive review, I will trace the evolution of the definition of brain death as death from 1968 to the present, providing background, history and context.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2014
Observational StudyNoninvasive ventilation in the event of acute respiratory failure in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Some patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) develop severe acute respiratory failure (ARF) requiring admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) and ventilatory support. A limited number of observational studies have reported that noninvasive ventilation (NIV) can be an effective treatment to support breathing and to prevent use of invasive mechanical ventilation in these patients. This study aimed to retrospectively investigate the clinical status and outcomes in IPF patients receiving NIV for ARF and to identify those clinical and laboratory characteristics, which could be considered risk factors for its failure. ⋯ The outcome of IPF patients who were administered NIV was quite poor. The use of NIV was, nevertheless, found to be associated with clinical benefits in selected IPF patients, preventing the need for intubation and reducing the rate of complications/death. Elevated plasma NT-proBNP levels at the time of ICU admission is a simple clinical marker for poor NIV outcome.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2014
Women are more than twice as likely to die from burns as men in Australia and New Zealand: An unexpected finding of the Burns Evaluation And Mortality (BEAM) Study.
While the risk of death after nonthermal trauma and sepsis may be higher for men, sex differences in outcome after burns are inconsistently reported. The Burns Evaluation And Mortality Study examined the outcomes of all patients admitted after thermal injury to the intensive care unit (ICU) at 8 of 9 burn referral centers in Australia and New Zealand between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011. There were 348 women and 1367 men treated for acute burns. ⋯ After adjusting for confounding factors, women had more than double the risk of death compared with men (odds ratio, 2.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.38-4.01; P=.002). Our study conclusively shows worse outcomes for women with burns admitted to ICUs in Australia and New Zealand. Further research is required to determine why this is happening.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2014
Antiphospholipid antibodies in critically ill patients with cancer: A prospective cohort study.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence and the prognostic impact of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in critically ill cancer patients. ⋯ Lupus anticoagulants were frequent in critically ill cancer patients. However, they were not associated with medium-term survival in these patients.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2014
Review Meta AnalysisPredictive value of plasma brain natriuretic peptide for postoperative cardiac complications-A systemic review and meta-analysis.
We aimed to undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies addressing perioperative natriuretic peptide (NP) levels to predict postoperative major adverse cardiac events (MACE) after major surgery. ⋯ The existing literature suggests that perioperative NP testing have reasonable accuracy and can be useful in perioperative risk stratification. Natriuretic peptide testing has high rule-out value and low rule-in value for predicting postoperative MACE. Medical decisions should be made in the context of these characteristics.