Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Apr 2000
Comparative StudyCalcitonin precursors are reliable markers of sepsis in a medical intensive care unit.
The diagnosis of infection in critically ill patients is challenging because traditional markers of infection are often misleading. For example, serum concentrations of calcitonin precursors are increased in patients with infections. However, their predictive accuracy for the diagnosis of sepsis in unselected patients in a medical intensive care unit (ICU) is unknown. Therefore, we compared the usefulness of serum concentrations of calcitonin precursors, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and lactate for the diagnosis of sepsis in consecutive patients suffering from a broad range of diseases with an anticipated stay of > or =24 hrs in a medical ICU. ⋯ In a medical ICU, serum calcitonin precursor concentrations are more sensitive and are specific markers of sepsis as compared with serum C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and lactate levels.
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Critical care medicine · Apr 2000
Review Case ReportsClinical experience with cerebral oximetry in stroke and cardiac arrest.
To address the ability and reliability of the INVOS 3100A (Somanetics, Troy, MI) cerebral oximeter to detect cerebral desaturation in patients and the interpretation of cerebral oximetry measurements using the INVOS 3100A in stroke and cardiac arrest. ⋯ Oximetry by near infrared spectroscopy reflects the balance between regional oxygen supply and demand. In dead or infarcted nonmetabolizing brain, saturation may be near normal because of sequestered cerebral venous blood in capillaries and venous capacitance vessels and contribution from overlying tissue. In regionally or globally ischemic, but metabolizing brain, saturation decreases because oxygen supply is insufficient to meet metabolic demand. These observations are supported by previously reported "normal" readings in unperfused or dead brains.
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Critical care medicine · Apr 2000
Comparative StudyIncreased nuclear factor kappa B activation in critically ill patients who die.
To determine nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) activation in mononuclear and neutrophils from critically ill patients and to compare NF-kappa B activation with circulating concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM)-1. ⋯ We found NF-kappa B activation in mononuclear and neutrophils in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome, which increased markedly before death in mononuclear leukocytes and was not related to plasma IL-6, IL-8, and sICAM-1 concentrations. These data support the need for further study of the role of NF-kappa B activation in mortality from systemic inflammatory response syndrome and sepsis.
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Critical care medicine · Apr 2000
Editorial Comment Comparative StudyInternal medicine based critical care training: straight internal medicine versus pulmonary.
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To measure energy expenditure in critically ill children and compare it with the energy expenditure predicted by recommended formulas, and relate the measured energy expenditure to nutritional and clinical indices. ⋯ Recommended daily allowances and energy expenditure predicted by using a stress-related correction to the resting energy expenditure grossly overestimate MEE. MEE is close to PBMR and in many patients, it is lower than PBMR. MEE that is lower than PBMR is associated with a higher morbidity. Nutritional repletion should thus be based on MEE to avoid the problems of over- or underfeeding.