Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2016
Kinetic estimated glomerular filtration rate and acute kidney injury in cardiac surgery patients.
To determine how a formula to estimate kinetically changing glomerular filtration rate (keGFR) relates to serum creatinine changes and to compare the discriminatory ability of keGFR to that of perioperative change in serum creatinine to predict acute kidney injury (AKI) and mortality. ⋯ Despite no change in immediate perioperative serum creatinine levels, keGFR fell and this predicted subsequent AKI. Using keGFR enables identification of patients who, despite unchanged postoperative creatinine, incur clinically significant kidney injury based on reduction in GFR and increased mortality.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2016
Endothelial cell-specific molecule-1/endocan: Diagnostic and prognostic value in patients suffering from severe sepsis and septic shock.
This study aims to assess the diagnostic and prognostic value of endocan in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock on a medical intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ Endocan showed diagnostic capacity to diagnose patients with severe sepsis and septic shock and revealed prognostic information for 30-days and 6-months all-cause mortality.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2016
Impact of bronchoalveolar lavage multiplex polymerase chain reaction on microbiological yield and therapeutic decisions in severe pneumonia in intensive care unit.
The purpose of the study is to evaluate the impact of adding bronchoalveolar lavage multiplex polymerase chain reaction (M-PCR) to conventional cultures (CC) on microbiological yield and therapeutic decisions in adult intensive care unit patients with pneumonia and severe sepsis or septic shock. ⋯ Bronchoalveolar lavage M-PCR with culture leads to higher microbiological yield and earlier modification of antibiotics compared to conventional culture.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2016
Predicting cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury: The CRATE score.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication after cardiac surgery and is associated with increased mortality. The aim was to design a nondialytic AKI score in patients with previously normal renal function undergoing cardiac surgery. ⋯ CRATE score is an accurate and easy to calculate risk score that uses affordable and widely available variables in the routine care surgical patients.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2016
Use of probiotics to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia: A survey of pharmacists' attitudes.
The primary objective of this survey was to describe pharmacists' attitudes regarding probiotic use in the intensive care unit (ICU); secondary objectives were to evaluate pharmacists' knowledge and use of probiotics for critically ill patients. ⋯ Most Canadian ICU pharmacists have used probiotics at least once in the ICU in the last year. However, based on uncertain efficacy and safety, most ICU pharmacists would not currently recommend probiotics for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia.