Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2019
Validation of diagnostic gene sets to identify critically ill patients with sepsis.
Gene expression diagnostics have been proposed to identify critically ill patients with sepsis. Three expression-based scores have been developed, but have not been compared in a prospective validation. We sought to validate these scores using an independent dataset and analysis. ⋯ All three scores distinguished septic from non-septic ICU patients, with the SMS showing the best performance overall in our cohort. Our results suggest that models developed from the co-analysis of multiple cohorts are more generalizable. Further work is needed to identify expression-based biomarkers of response to specific therapies.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2019
Review Meta AnalysisNoninvasive ventilation in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Evaluate current recommendation for the use of noninvasive ventilation (Bi-level positive airway pressure- BiPAP modality) in hypoxemic acute respiratory failure, excluding chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. ⋯ NIV showed a significant protective effect for intubation in immunosuppressed patients (cancer and transplants) and in patients with APE/CAP. However, the benefits of NIV for other etiologies are not clear and more trials are needed to prove these effects.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2019
Review Meta AnalysisSafety and efficacy of iron therapy on reducing red blood cell transfusion requirements and treating anaemia in critically ill adults: A systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.
To evaluate the safety (risk of infection) and efficacy (transfusion requirements, changes in haemoglobin (Hb)) of iron therapy in adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients. ⋯ Iron therapy results in a modest increase in Hb. The current evidence is inadequate to exclude an important effect on transfusion requirements or infection.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2019
ReviewNeuromuscular blocking agents for acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an acute inflammatory process that impairs the ability of the lungs to oxygenate thereby resulting in respiratory failure. Treatment of ARDS is often a multimodal approach using both nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic treatment strategies in addition to trying to reverse the underlying cause of ARDS. Neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) have been prescribed to patients with ARDS as they are thought to decrease inflammation, oxygen consumption, and cardiac output and help facilitate ventilator synchrony. ⋯ Despite reports of NMBAs being associated with adverse effects like postparalytic quadriparesis, myopathy, and prolonged recovery, these effects have not been seen in patients receiving short courses of NMBAs for ARDS. A large multicenter, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial is ongoing to confirm benefit of NMBAs in early, severe ARDS when adjusting for limitations of the previous studies. The current available literature suggests that 48 h of NMBA therapy in patients with early, severe ARDS improves mortality, without resulting in additional patient harm.