Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Sep 1998
Partial liquid ventilation decreases albumin leak in the setting of acute lung injury.
This study evaluated the ability of partial liquid ventilation (PLV, gas ventilation of the perfluorocarbon-filled lungs) to reduce the amount of lung albumin leak present in the setting of acute lung injury. ⋯ These data suggest that intratracheal instillation of perfluorocarbon before or after induction of lung injury results in a reduction in pulmonary albumin leak.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 1998
Comparative StudyGastric intramucosal PCO2 as a quantitative indicator of the degree of acute hemorrhage.
Gastric intramucosal PCO2 (PiCO2) is a marker of splanchnic dysoxia and hypoperfusion that is increasingly used in intensive care medicine. We assessed two methods, saline-balloon tonometry versus continuous capnometric recirculating gas tonometry (CRGT), for detecting changes in PiCO2 in animals subjected to various degrees of hemorrhage and examined whether changes in PiCO2 would correlate with the degree of hemorrhage as assessed by blood loss volume. ⋯ PiCO2 serves as a quantitative indicator of the severity of hypovolemic perfusion failure associated with hemorrhage. Compared with standard saline tonometry, CRGT may be a more sensitive method of monitoring the severity of hemorrhage.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 1998
Comparative StudyClinical evaluation of the Abbott Qvue-OptiQ continuous cardiac output system in critically ill medical patients.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of a new continuous cardiac output (CCO) monitoring device (Qvue/OptiQ system; Abbott Critical Care Systems, Mountain View, CA) based on the pulsed warm thermodilution technique in critically ill medical patients. ⋯ These results suggest that ICO and CCO measurement by the Qvue/OptiQ system are interchangeable, except for temperature or heart rate extreme values.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 1998
A comparison of mini-bronchoalveolar lavage and blind-protected specimen brush sampling in ventilated patients with suspected pneumonia.
Mini-bronchoalveolar lavage (m-BAL) and blind-protected brush sampling (b-PSB) are minimally invasive methods of diagnosing pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients. The aim of this study was to compare these techniques in a prospective study at a medical and surgical intensive care unit in a university-affiliated community teaching hospital. ⋯ In mechanically ventilated patients with suspected pneumonia both b-PSB and m-BAL can be performed safely by respiratory therapists. The tests complement each other and likely reduce the number of false-negative results.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 1998
Feasibility of noninvasive mechanical ventilation in the treatment of acute respiratory failure in postoperative cancer patients.
Patients with cancer who require mechanical ventilation have high mortality rates. Although oncological patients have multiple clinical problems, including nutritional and immunological deficiencies, added complications from mechanical ventilation by themselves may be life-threatening and may further compromise the ability of these patients to recover from an episode of acute respiratory failure (ARF). Noninvasive mechanical ventilatory support (NIMV) using positive-pressure-ventilation delivered through a mask has gained popularity for the treatment of ARF and may limit some mechanical ventilation complications. The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate NIMV in cancer patients with ARF. ⋯ NIMV was effective in the treatment of ARF in cancer patients at our institution substantially decreasing the need for intubation. This ventilatory technique is a viable option for cancer patients with ARF.