Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2017
Observational StudyThe prognostic value of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in non-cardiac patients with sepsis, ultra-long follow-up.
Sepsis is a multifactorial syndrome with increasing incidence of morbidity and mortality. Identification of outcome predictors is therefore essential. Recently, elevated brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels have been observed in patients with septic shock. Little information is available concerning BNP levels in patients with critical illness, especially with sepsis. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the role of BNP as a biomarker for long-term mortality in patients with sepsis. ⋯ In the population of hospitalized patients with sepsis, BNP is a strong independent predictor of short- and long-term mortality.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2017
Developing and testing a comprehensive tool to assess family meetings: Empirical distinctions between high- and low-quality meetings.
The heterogeneity with regard to findings on family meetings (or conferences) suggests a need to better understand factors that influence family meetings. While earlier studies have explored frequency or timing of family meetings, little is known about how factors (such as what is said during meetings, how it is said, and by whom) influence family meeting quality. ⋯ We filled a gap by developing an evaluation tool to assess family meetings, and we identified how what is said during meetings impacts quality.