Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Oct 1992
Respiratory syncytial virus morbidity and mortality estimates in congenital heart disease patients: a recent experience.
To determine recent morbidity and mortality rates from respiratory syncytial virus infection in a pediatric congenital heart disease population. ⋯ We conclude that respiratory syncytial virus mortality risk in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease is less than the risk reported a decade ago. Respiratory syncytial virus infection in congenital heart disease patients with pulmonary hypertension is associated with increased morbidity but not increased mortality rates. The markedly decreased respiratory syncytial virus mortality risk in patients with congenital heart disease currently experienced is likely secondary to improvements in intensive care management and advances in the surgical correction in this population rather than antiviral therapy.
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Critical care medicine · Oct 1992
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialNutritional outcome and pneumonia in critical care patients randomized to gastric versus jejunal tube feedings. The Critical Care Research Team.
To compare nutritional status, gastric colonization, and rates of nosocomial pneumonia in ICU patients randomized to gastric tube feeding vs. patients fed by an endoscopically placed jejunal tube. ⋯ Patients fed by jejunal tube received a significantly higher proportion of their daily goal caloric intake, had a significantly greater increase in serum prealbumin concentrations, and had a lower rate of pneumonia than patients fed by continuous gastric tube feeding.
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Critical care medicine · Oct 1992
Circulating interleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations after burn injury in humans.
To measure plasma interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) concentrations after burn injury and to determine if these concentrations relate to clinical status. ⋯ These results indicate that early after burn injury there is a correspondence of IL-1 beta and TNF alpha with certain host responses, but these correlations disappear with the progression of illness. In general, IL-1 beta and TNF alpha appear to be poor indicators of prognosis during burn injury; however, the association of mortality with low circulating IL-1 beta values supports the concept of IL-1 beta as being an essential mediator of host defenses.