Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2016
Review Meta AnalysisEffect of traditional Chinese medicine on intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome: A systematic review and Meta-analysis.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) recently become a widely used treatment option for treating intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). However, we still lack large-scale, high-quality, randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the existing clinical trials and to provide additional specific evidence. ⋯ TCMs seem to be effective for patients with IAH and ACS; however, most of the reviewed trials are of poor quality. Large-scale, high-quality clinical trials are warranted.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2016
Review Meta AnalysisDiastolic dysfunction as a predictor of weaning failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Weaning failure and prolonged mechanical ventilation are associated with increased morbidity, cost of care, and high mortality rates. In the last few years, cardiac performance has been recognized as a common etiology of weaning failure, and growing evidence suggests that left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is a key factor that determines weaning outcomes. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis to evaluate whether diastolic dysfunction in the critically ill patient subjected to mechanical ventilation is an independent predictor of weaning failure. ⋯ A higher E/e' ratio is significantly associated with weaning failure, although a high heterogeneity of diastolic dysfunction criteria and different clinical scenarios limit additional conclusions linking diastolic dysfunction with weaning failure.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2016
Observational StudyEarly procalcitonin kinetics and appropriateness of empirical antimicrobial therapy in critically ill patients: A prospective observational study.
The purpose was to investigate the value of procalcitonin (PCT) kinetics in predicting the appropriateness of empirical antimicrobial treatment in critically ill patients. ⋯ Early response of PCT in the first 24 hours of commencing empirical antimicrobials in critically ill patients may help the clinician to evaluate the appropriateness of therapy.