Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Nov 1998
Comparative StudyApproximate entropy of respiratory rate and tidal volume during weaning from mechanical ventilation.
To determine the effects of respiratory failure on respiratory rate pattern and tidal volume pattern. ⋯ Respiratory failure causes tidal volume patterns to become increasingly irregular, but increasing respiratory rate has no effect on respiratory rate pattern.
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Critical care medicine · Nov 1998
Comparative StudyOxygen consumption, lactate metabolism, and gastric intramucosal pH in an experimental liver transplantation model.
To assess the usefulness of measuring whole-body oxygen consumption (VO2), arterial lactate concentration, and gastric intramucosal pH (pHi) as parameters for evaluating hepatic graft viability in a model of experimental liver transplantation. ⋯ Changes in hepatic VO2 cannot be detected by VO2 measurements. Optimal-state grafts increased their lactate turnover as a result of substrate overload, but injured grafts did not. Therefore, the evolution of arterial lactate concentrations in the immediate postoperative period may be useful for the early evaluation of transplanted livers. Gastric pHi can be a useful measurement in the immediate posttransplantation period for differentiating between hyperlactacidemia produced by liver dysfunction (normal pHi) and hyperlactacidemia produced by lactate generation as a consequence of inadequate tissue oxygenation or of a mixed origin (abnormal pHi).
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Critical care medicine · Nov 1998
Comparative StudyEndothelin-1 and thromboxane A2 increase pulmonary vascular resistance in granulocyte-mediated lung injury.
To examine the pathophysiologic role of vasoactive eicosanoids and endothelin-1 in granulocyte-mediated effects in the pulmonary vasculature. ⋯ Activated granulocytes seem to enhance pulmonary vascular resistance via endothelin-1 and thromboxane A2. The endothelin-1 effects are probably mediated via endothelin-A receptors since the endothelin-A receptor antagonist LU135252 was able to suppress the early pressure reaction after FMLP injection, whereas the cyclooxygenase inhibitor diclofenac was able to reduce the second pressure increase.
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Critical care medicine · Nov 1998
Editorial Comment ReviewTreating elevated intracranial pressure: do we raise or lower the blood pressure?