Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Apr 2015
Comparative Study Observational StudyDifferences in Vital Signs Between Elderly and Nonelderly Patients Prior to Ward Cardiac Arrest.
Vital signs and composite scores, such as the Modified Early Warning Score, are used to identify high-risk ward patients and trigger rapid response teams. Although age-related vital sign changes are known to occur, little is known about the differences in vital signs between elderly and nonelderly patients prior to ward cardiac arrest. We aimed to compare the accuracy of vital signs for detecting cardiac arrest between elderly and nonelderly patients. ⋯ Vital signs more accurately detect cardiac arrest in nonelderly patients compared with elderly patients, which has important implications for how they are used for identifying critically ill patients. More accurate methods for risk stratification of elderly patients are necessary to decrease the occurrence of this devastating event.
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Critical care medicine · Apr 2015
ReviewUltrasound for the Assessment of Peripheral Skeletal Muscle Architecture in Critical Illness: A Systematic Review.
To critically evaluate and summarize identified evidence for the use of ultrasound to measure peripheral skeletal muscle architecture during critical illness. ⋯ Ultrasound provides clinical utility for assessing the trajectory of change in peripheral skeletal muscle architecture during critical illness, supplementing more detailed characterization, albeit rarely used, from muscle biopsy analysis. Adoption of standardized operating protocols for measurement will facilitate future meta-analysis of data.
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Critical care medicine · Apr 2015
Editorial CommentThe evidence is in: noninvasive ventilation saves lives.