Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2016
ReviewMusic therapy, a review of the potential therapeutic benefits for the critically ill.
Intensive care units are a stressful milieu for patients, particularly when under mechanical ventilation which they refer to as inhumane and anxiety producing. Anxiety can impose harmful effects on the course of recovery and overall well-being of the patient. Resulting adverse effects may prolong weaning and recovery time. ⋯ It can abate the stress response, decrease anxiety during mechanical ventilation, and induce an overall relaxation response without the use of medication. This relaxation response can lower cardiac workload and oxygen consumption resulting in more effective ventilation. Music may also improve sleep quality and reduce patient's pain with a subsequent decrease in sedative exposure leading to an accelerated ventilator weaning process and a speedier recovery.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2016
Multicenter StudyA clinical prediction tool for hospital mortality in critically ill elderly patients.
Very elderly (80 years of age and above) critically ill patients admitted to medical intensive care units (ICUs) have a high incidence of mortality, prolonged hospital length of stay, and living in a dependent state should they survive. ⋯ We identified high-risk characteristics for hospital mortality in the elderly population and developed a Risk Scale that may be used to inform discussions regarding goals of care in the future. Further study is warranted to validate the Risk Scale in other settings and evaluate its impact on clinical decision making.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2016
ReviewPalliative care in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the only major worldwide cause of mortality that is currently increasing in prevalence. Furthermore, COPD is incurable, and the only therapy that has been shown to increase survival is oxygen therapy in selected patients. Compared to patients with cancer, patients with COPD experience similar levels of pain, breathlessness, fatigue, depression, and anxiety and have a worse quality of life but have comparatively little access to palliative care. ⋯ A new paradigm for palliative care would introduce palliative treatments alongside, rather than at the exclusion of disease-modifying interventions. This integrated approach would circumvent the issue of difficult prognostication in COPD, as any patient would receive individualized palliative interventions from the time of diagnosis. These points will be covered in this review, which discusses the challenges in providing palliative care to COPD patients, the strategies to mitigate the challenges, management of common symptoms, and the evidence for integrated palliative care models as well as some suggestions for future development.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2016
Multicenter StudyDefining the characteristics and expectations of fluid bolus therapy: A worldwide perspective.
The purpose of the study is to understand what clinicians believe defines fluid bolus therapy (FBT) and the expected response to such intervention. ⋯ Despite wide variability between individuals and countries, clear majority views emerged to describe practice, define FBT, and identify a response to it. Further investigation is now required to describe actual FBT practice and to identify the magnitude and duration of the physiological response to FBT and its relationship to patient-centered outcomes.