Critical care medicine
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Cognitive impairment is an important consequence of sepsis. We sought to determine long-term trajectories of cognitive function after sepsis. ⋯ Sepsis is associated with accelerated long-term decline in global cognitive function.
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Critical care medicine · Jul 2021
Changes in Stress and Workplace Shortages Reported by U.S. Critical Care Physicians Treating Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients.
Eleven months into the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the country faces accelerating rates of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Little is known about the experiences of critical care physicians caring for the sickest coronavirus disease 2019 patients. Our goal is to understand how high stress levels and shortages faced by these physicians during Spring 2020 have evolved. ⋯ Stress, staffing, and, to a lesser degree, personal protective equipment shortages faced by U.S. critical care physicians remain high. Stress levels were higher among women. Considering the persistence of these findings, rising levels of infection nationally raise concerns about the capacity of the U.S. critical care system to meet ongoing and future demands.
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Critical care medicine · Jul 2021
Exhalation Spreading During Nasal High-Flow Therapy at Different Flow Rates.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is transmitted through aerosols and droplets. Nasal high-flow therapy could possibly increase the spreading of exhalates from patients. The aim of this study is to investigate whether nasal high-flow therapy affects the range of the expiratory plume compared with spontaneous breathing. ⋯ Nasal high-flow therapy increases the range of the expiratory air up to more than 4 meters. The risk to pick up infectious particles could be increased within this range. Attachment of a surgical mask over the nasal high-flow cannula blocks the expiratory airstream.
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Critical care medicine · Jul 2021
Observational StudyEpidemiology of Sepsis Among Children and Neonates in Germany: Results From an Observational Study Based on Nationwide Diagnosis-Related Groups Data Between 2010 and 2016.
Worldwide, more than half of all sepsis cases occur in pediatric and adolescent patients, particularly in neonates. Previous population-based studies in these age groups often were limited to either neonatal or pediatric patients admitted to ICUs. We aimed to investigate the overall and age-specific incidence and case fatality of sepsis in children in Germany, a high-income country with a total population of 82 million. ⋯ Sepsis is also in Germany a common and frequently fatal condition in pediatric patients, particularly among neonates and children with comorbidities.