Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Jul 1991
Meta Analysis Comparative StudySucralfate versus antacids or H2-antagonists for stress ulcer prophylaxis: a meta-analysis on efficacy and pneumonia rate.
Histamine2 (H2)-receptor antagonists and antacids have been the basic drugs for the prevention of stress bleeding in ICU patients during the past decade. Recently, drugs without major influence on gastric pH have been investigated in stress bleeding prophylaxis. Therefore, a meta-analysis (Mantel-Haenszel test) was undertaken to determine the efficacy of sucralfate in the prevention of macroscopically visible stress bleeding, as well as the influence of sucralfate on the frequency of pulmonary infections. ⋯ Sucralfate is an effective drug for the prevention of stress bleeding that minimizes the risk of nosocomial pneumonia in long-term ventilated ICU patients.
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Critical care medicine · Jul 1991
Intensive care unit patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia: suggested predictors of hospital outcome.
To define our ICU experience with AIDS patients, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, and respiratory failure, and to delineate factors predictive of hospital survival. ⋯ When dealing with AIDS/P. carinii pneumonia/ICU patients, it is not possible to distinguish who will survive to hospital discharge based on information routinely available before ICU admission. Those patients with the greatest chance of survival demonstrate a significant decrease in the required level of respiratory support within the first 4 days of ICU care. The presence of a metabolic acidemia (pH less than 7.35 and base deficit greater than 4 mEq/L), at any time during the ICU course, is a poor prognostic sign. We suggest that such objective variables should be included in the development of any new outcome predictor model for this group of ICU patients.
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Critical care medicine · Jul 1991
Immune dysfunction in children after corrective surgery for congenital heart disease.
To study the effect of open- and closed-heart surgery on the immune status of infants and children. ⋯ The immune system is affected after pediatric cardiac surgery, particularly after open-heart surgery.
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Critical care medicine · Jul 1991
Components of excess ventilation in patients initiated on mechanical ventilation.
To determine the causes of excess minute ventilation in patients initiated on mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Although all groups initiated on mechanical ventilation had an excess ventilatory requirement, the contribution of individual components varied considerably between clinical groups.