Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2014
Letter ReviewThe shortage of critical care physicians: Is there a solution?
The objective of this study is to provide a solution to the critical care physician shortage. ⋯ Family Practice is the second largest collective group of physicians in the United States-second only to internal medicine. In most of rural America, where there are limited physicians serving the population, family practitioners fill the gap and provide services otherwise unavailable to those patients. This group that can potentially be trained in critical care and help solve the crisis has been prevented from doing so.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2014
Multicenter Study Observational StudyCentral venous pressure after coronary artery bypass surgery: Does it predict postoperative mortality or renal failure?
Although hemodynamic monitoring is often performed after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the role of monitoring postoperative central venous pressure (CVP) measurement as a predictor of clinical outcomes is unknown. As such, this study tests the hypothesis that postoperative CVP is predictive of operative mortality or renal failure. ⋯ Patients' CVP at 6 hours after CABG surgery was highly predictive of operative mortality or renal failure, independent of cardiac index and other important clinical variables. Future studies will need to assess whether interventions guided by postoperative CVP can improve patient outcomes.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2014
Maternal organ donation and acute injuries in surviving children.
The purpose of this study is to test whether maternal deceased organ donation is associated with rates of subsequent acute injuries among surviving children after their mother's death. ⋯ Deceased organ donation was associated with a reduction in excess acute injuries among surviving children after their mother's death. An awareness of this positive association provides some reassurance about deceased organ donation programs.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2014
Observational StudyThe relationship between physician case volume and in-hospital mortality of critically ill children with a diagnosis of pneumonia: A cross-sectional observational analytical study.
The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between physician case volume and the outcomes of critically ill children with pneumonia. ⋯ A higher physician's pneumonia case volume is associated with a lower length of hospital stay, lower in-hospital mortality rate, and lower hospitalization expenses among critically ill children with pneumonia.
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Bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) are common procedures in intensive care units; however, no contemporaneous safety and outcomes data have been reported, particularly for critically ill patients. ⋯ Bronchoscopy with BAL in critically ill patients with sepsis and ALI is well tolerated with low risk of complications, primarily related to manageable hypoxemia.