Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Jun 1994
Comparative StudyInduction of the heat shock response reduces mortality rate and organ damage in a sepsis-induced acute lung injury model.
To test the hypothesis that induction of heat shock proteins before the onset of sepsis could prevent or reduce organ injury and death in a rat model of intra-abdominal sepsis and sepsis-induced acute lung injury produced by cecal ligation and perforation. ⋯ These data suggest that thermal pretreatment, associated with the synthesis of heat shock proteins, reduces organ damage and enhances animal survival in experimental sepsis-induced acute lung injury. Although the mechanisms by which heat shock proteins exert a protective effect are not well understood, these data raise interesting questions regarding the importance of fever in the protection of the whole organism during bacterial infection.
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Critical care medicine · Jun 1994
Comparative StudyComparison of inspiratory work of breathing between flow-triggered and pressure-triggered demand flow systems in rabbits.
Flow-triggered continuous positive airway pressure decreases the inspiratory work of breathing in adults when compared with pressure-triggered continuous positive airway pressure. However, the effect of flow-triggered continuous positive airway pressure on work of breathing in neonates is not known. Our objective was to determine if flow-triggering was superior to pressure triggering in the presence of narrow endotracheal tubes, such as those tubes used in neonates. ⋯ Flow-triggering is superior to pressure-triggering in the presence of a 3-mm inner diameter endotracheal tube. This difference was not clear with a 4-mm inner diameter endotracheal tube. The size of the endotracheal tube may be the most important variable in evaluating the approach used to ventilate small neonates.
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Critical care medicine · Jun 1994
Comparative StudyEpinephrine infusion in sheep: systemic and renal hemodynamic effects.
To evaluate the dose-response effects of graded epinephrine infusions on systemic and renal hemodynamics. ⋯ Using a clinically relevant dose regimen, epinephrine increased mean arterial pressure and cardiac output. Renal blood flow decreased transiently, but returned to baseline within 30 to 60 mins.
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To determine the predictive value of patient monitoring alarms as a warning system in a pediatric intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ Over 94% of alarm soundings in a pediatric ICU may not be clinically important. Present monitoring systems are poor predictors of untoward events.