Critical care medicine
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To discuss the relative merits and limitations of living wills and the durable power of attorney for health care. ⋯ We recommend the execution of both a living will and a durable power of attorney for health care to provide the best assurance that patients' desires concerning medical treatments will be respected.
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Critical care medicine · Jul 1992
Hemodynamic and metabolic effects of epinephrine during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a pig model.
This study was designed to assess the effect of epinephrine during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on left ventricular myocardial blood flow, systemic oxygen delivery and consumption, and on plasma glucose and lactate concentrations. Fourteen pigs were allocated to receive either 0.9% saline (n = 7), or 45 micrograms/kg epinephrine (n = 7) after 5 mins of ventricular fibrillation, and 3 mins of open-chest CPR. Left ventricular myocardial blood flow was measured with radiolabeled microspheres. Plasma catecholamine concentrations were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography. ⋯ At a dose of 45 micrograms/kg, epinephrine caused an increase in left ventricular myocardial blood flow after a total of 8 mins of cardiac arrest, including 3 mins of CPR, while not altering systemic oxygen delivery and consumption, plasma glucose, or lactate concentrations.
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Critical care medicine · Jul 1992
Editorial Biography Historical ArticleGiants of critical care: a tribute to Max Harry Weil, MD, PhD.