Critical care medicine
-
Critical care medicine · Jul 1979
ReviewMultisystem failure: a review with special reference to drowning.
Near-drowning represents an insult that can affect all organ systems. A common pathway for injury is hypoxemia, acidosis, and hypoperfusion. ⋯ Variations in vascular volume, heart failure, renal failure, coagulation disorders, and electrolyte disturbances may also be present. Patients should be observed for multisystem failure and therapy tailored to the particular needs of each victim.
-
Critical care medicine · Jul 1979
Comparative StudyRelative importance of alpha and beta adrenergic receptors during resuscitation.
Successful resuscitation from cardiac arrest in the asphyxiated dog model has been ascribed to the use of artificial ventilation, closed chest cardiac massage, and administration of a vasopressor. Controversy remains over whether the most commonly employed vasopressor, epinephrine, exerts its effects primarily by elevating diastolic pressure and reestablishing coronary flow, or by exciting cardiac pacemaker cells and enhancing myocardial contractility. ⋯ The appearance of the ECG during cardiac arrest and resuscitation could in no way be used to predict the outcome of resuscitation attempts. Results suggest that, initially, alpha receptor stimulation with concomitant diastolic pressure elevation is more important to the success of resuscitation than beta receptor stimulation.