Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2016
Quality of life improves with return of voice in tracheostomy patients in intensive care: An observational study.
To measure patient-reported change of mood, communication-related quality of life, and general health status with return of voice among mechanically ventilated tracheostomy patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ Return of voice was associated with significant improvement in patient reported self-esteem, particularly in being understood by others and in cheerfulness. Improved self-esteem may also improve quality of life; however, further research is needed to confirm this relationship. Early restoration of voice should be investigated as a way to improve the experience of ICU for tracheostomy patients.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2016
The predictive performance of the SAPS II and SAPS 3 scoring systems: A retrospective analysis.
The purpose was to analyze and compare the performance of Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II and SAPS 3 (North Europe Logit) in an intensive care unit (ICU) for internal disorders at a German university hospital. ⋯ In this study, SAPS 3 overestimated mortality and therefore appears less suitable for risk evaluation in comparison to SAPS II.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2016
Is plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin a predictive biomarker for acute kidney injury in sepsis patients? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a useful biomarker for early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI). However, the diagnostic value of NGAL for predicting AKI in sepsis patients is unclear. ⋯ Plasma NGAL has a high sensitivity and a high negative predictive value for detection of AKI in adult sepsis patients. However, its low specificity and low positive predictive value could limit its clinical utility. The usefulness of urine NGAL was not revealed in this study.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2016
Real-time ultrasound-guided infraclavicular axillary vein cannulation: A prospective study in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients.
The main purpose of this study was to define the venipuncture and catheterization success rates and early mechanical complication rates of ultrasound-guided infraclavicular axillary vein cannulation. ⋯ In-plane, real-time, ultrasound-guided, infraclavicular axillary vein cannulation in mechanically ventilated, critically ill patients is a safe and reliable method of central venous cannulation and can be considered to be a reasonable alternative to other central venous catheterization techniques.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2016
Comparison of cough reflex testing with videoendoscopy in recently extubated intensive care unit patients.
Orotracheal intubation is known to impair cough reflex, but the validity of cough reflex testing (CRT) as a screening tool for silent aspiration in this population is unknown. ⋯ Intensive care unit patients are at increased risk of aspiration in the 24 hours following extubation, and an impaired cough reflex is common. However, CRT overidentifies risk of silent aspiration in this population.