Critical care medicine
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To review available investigations describing the properties of the buffer mixture Tribonat. ⋯ The reviewed articles support the assumption that Tribonat may offer important advantages over previously used buffers in situations where administration of an alkalinizing agent is indicated.
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Critical care medicine · May 1999
Comparative StudyPrognostic usefulness of scoring systems in critically ill patients with severe acute pancreatitis.
To compare prognostic scoring systems in a retrospective series of patients with severe acute pancreatitis admitted to a surgical intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ Once a patient is admitted to the surgical ICU, several predictors of mortality or complications that will require long hospitalization times are evident. In this sample of patients, APACHE III scores >30 at 96 hrs, 5 or more Ranson criteria, and a modified Imrie (Glasgow) score of >3 predicted those who died or had multiple complications. Those patients with combined 48-hr and 96-hr APACHE III scores of >60 either died or had hospitalizations of >60 days. These patients had major pancreatic complications that included pancreatic necrosis, pancreatic abscess, pseudocyst, hemorrhagic pancreatitis, and pancreatic ascites.
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Critical care medicine · May 1999
Comparative StudyThe use of polymerase chain reaction to detect septicemia in critically ill patients.
To describe the use of bacterial DNA amplification of conserved bacterial 16S ribosomal DNA nucleotide sequences by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect the presence of septicemia in critically ill septic patients. ⋯ We conclude that the use of PCR (for the 16S ribosomal DNA in the plasma) was significantly more sensitive than the use of conventional blood culturing techniques for the detection of bacteremia in seriously ill patients. This could prove to be a valuable adjunct to conventional blood cultures.
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Critical care medicine · May 1999
Comparative StudySubarachnoid hemorrhage in rats: effect of singular or sustained hemodilution with alpha-alpha diaspirin crosslinked hemoglobin on cerebral hypoperfusion.
To evaluate the effect of singular or sustained hemodilution, with alpha-alpha diaspirin crosslinked hemoglobin (DCLHb), on the area of hypoperfusion after subarachnoid hemorrhage. ⋯ These data support the hypothesis that hemodilution with molecular hemoglobin decreases hypoperfusion after subarachnoid hemorrhage and that sustained hemodilution is more effective than singular treatment. The data do not support the notion that intravascular DCLHb has an adverse effect on cerebral ischemia after subarachnoid hemorrhage.