Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2016
ReviewRecent knowledge on the pathophysiology of septic acute kidney injury: A narrative review.
Sepsis is the commonest cause of acute kidney injury in critically ill patients. Its pathophysiology is complex and not well understood. ⋯ We now know that its mechanisms included the following: (1) renal macrocirculatory and microcirculatory disturbance, (2) surge of inflammatory markers and oxidative stress, (3) coagulation cascade activation, and (4) bioenergetics adaptive response with controlled cell-cycle arrest aiming to prevent cell death. Uncovering these complicated mechanisms may facilitate the development of more appropriate therapeutic measures in the future.
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Altered mental status is a common pathological entity in critically ill patients and particularly in those with preexisting cerebral injury. In the neurological critical care unit, the prevalence of altered mental status is especially high because of the inherent nervous system disease of these patients. ⋯ Although often used interchangeably, the 2 pathological entities have subtle differences in etiology and presentation. This is a review of delirium and encephalopathy in the neurological critical care unit.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2015
Review Meta AnalysisIncreased return of spontaneous circulation at the expense of neurologic outcomes: Is prehospital epinephrine for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest really worth it?
Current guidelines for the management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) recommend the use of prehospital epinephrine by initial responders. This recommendation was initially based on data from animal models of cardiac arrest and minimal human data, but since its inception, more human data regarding prehospital epinephrine in this setting are now available. Although out-of-hospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) may be higher with the use of epinephrine, worse neurologic outcomes may be associated with its use. ⋯ Use of epinephrine before arrival to the hospital for OHCA does not increase survival to discharge but does make it more likely for those who are discharged to have poor neurologic outcome. There is a need for additional randomized controlled trials.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2015
Review Meta AnalysisProtocolized sedation effect on post-ICU posttraumatic stress disorder prevalence: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Strategies aiming light sedation are associated with decreased length on mechanical ventilation. However, awake or easily arousable patients may be prone to greater prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the safety of light sedation strategies regarding the prevalence of PTSD. ⋯ Light sedation strategies seem to be safe in terms of PTSD prevalence. However, the small number of included trials and patients may not be sufficient to drive strong statements.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2015
Review Meta AnalysisProtocolized sedation effect on post-ICU posttraumatic stress disorder prevalence: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Strategies aiming light sedation are associated with decreased length on mechanical ventilation. However, awake or easily arousable patients may be prone to greater prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the safety of light sedation strategies regarding the prevalence of PTSD. ⋯ Light sedation strategies seem to be safe in terms of PTSD prevalence. However, the small number of included trials and patients may not be sufficient to drive strong statements.