Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Aug 2006
Microalbuminuria in the intensive care unit: Clinical correlates and association with outcomes in 431 patients.
Comparison of urine albumin within 6 hrs of intensive care unit (ICU) admission with demography, clinical classification, outcome, inotrope/vasopressor requirement, clinical assessment of mortality risk, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores. ⋯ Urine albumin changes rapidly within the first 6 hrs following ICU admission and predicts ICU mortality and inotrope requirement as well as or better than APACHE II and SOFA scores. Serial urine albumin measurement may provide a means of monitoring the microvascular effects of systemic inflammation.
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Critical care medicine · Aug 2006
Comparable increase of B-type natriuretic peptide and amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels in patients with severe sepsis, septic shock, and acute heart failure.
B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-BNP measurements are used for the diagnosis of congestive heart failure (HF). However, the diagnostic value of these tests is unknown under septic conditions. We compared patients with severe sepsis or septic shock and patients with acute HF to unravel the influence of the underlying diagnosis on BNP and N-terminal pro-BNP levels. ⋯ In patients with severe sepsis or septic shock, BNP and N-terminal pro-BNP values are highly elevated and, despite significant hemodynamic differences, comparable with those found in acute HF patients. It remains to be determined how elevations of natriuretic peptide levels are linked to inflammation and sepsis-associated myocardial dysfunction.
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Critical care medicine · Aug 2006
Multicenter StudyReduced breathing variability as a predictor of unsuccessful patient separation from mechanical ventilation.
To compare descriptors of the breath-to-breath respiratory variability during a 60-min spontaneous breathing trial in patients successfully and unsuccessfully separated from the ventilator and the endotracheal tube and to assess the usefulness of these predictors in discriminating these two categories of patients. ⋯ In intensive care unit patients undergoing a spontaneous breathing trial, breathing variability is greater in patients successfully separated from the ventilator and the endotracheal tube. Variability indices are sufficient to separate success from failure cases.
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Alkaline phosphatase may decrease the harmful effects of lipopolysaccharide by detoxifying lipid A. The aim of this study was to investigate whether administration of alkaline phosphatase is beneficial in a clinically relevant septic shock model. ⋯ In this clinically relevant septic shock model, alkaline phosphatase administration improved gas exchange, decreased interleukin-6 concentrations, and prolonged survival time.
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Critical care medicine · Aug 2006
Multicenter StudyHow does lack of insurance affect use of intensive care? A population-based study.
One in six Americans aged <65 yrs are without health insurance. Although lack of insurance is associated with reduced access to many health services, the relationship between lack of insurance and use of intensive care services is unclear. We sought to compare the use of intensive care by insured and uninsured populations. ⋯ Americans without insurance use ICU services less often than those with insurance, primarily because of decreased likelihood of hospital admission in the first place. Outcome is worse for those who are admitted to the ICU, possibly because they are sicker when they seek care.