Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Apr 2024
Review Meta AnalysisEfficacy and safety of corticosteroids for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
The role of corticosteroids in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains uncertain. We conducted an updated meta-analysis to investigate the effectiveness and potential effect modifiers of adjunctive corticosteroids in patients with CAP. ⋯ Corticosteroids reduce the risk of all-cause mortality, especially in younger patients receiving hydrocortisone, and probably decrease the need for MV, the incidence of shock, and the length of hospital and ICU stay in patients with CAP. Our findings indicate that patients with CAP, especially severe CAP, will benefit from adjunctive corticosteroid therapy.
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Journal of critical care · Apr 2024
ReviewAn environmental scan of online resources for informal family caregivers of ICU survivors.
To collate a comprehensive repository of online resources for family caregivers of intensive care survivors to inform a recovery website and digital peer support programme. ⋯ This environmental scan identifies multiple resources addressing informational needs of family caregivers and highlights areas for resource development.
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Journal of critical care · Apr 2024
Meta AnalysisAdverse events leading to intensive care unit admission in a low-and-middle-income-country: A prospective cohort study and a systematic review.
Adverse events (AE) are frequent in critical care and could be even more prevalent in LMIC due to a shortage of ICU beds and Human resources. There is limited data on how relevant AE are among the reasons for ICU admission, being all of which published by High-Income-Countries services. Our main goal is to describe the rate of adverse events-related ICU admissions and their preventability in a LMIC scenario, comparing our results with previous data. ⋯ In this prospective cohort, adverse events were a relevant reason for ICU admission. This result is consistent with data retrieved from non-LMIC as shown in our meta-analysis. The high preventability rate described reinforces that quality and safety programs could work as a tool to optimize scarce resources.
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Journal of critical care · Apr 2024
The depth of neuromuscular blockade is not related to chest wall elastance and respiratory mechanics in moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome patients. A prospective cohort study.
Data concerning the depth of neuromuscular blockade (NMB) required for effective relaxation of the respiratory muscles in ARDS are scarce. We hypothesised that complete versus partial NMB can modify respiratory mechanics. ⋯ In ARDS, the relaxation of the respiratory muscles seems to be independent of the NMB level.