Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Nov 1996
Physiologic responses to exchange transfusion with hemoglobin vesicles as an artificial oxygen carrier in anesthetized rats: changes in mean arterial pressure and renal cortical tissue oxygen tension.
To evaluate the oxygen transporting capabilities of hemoglobin vesicles by studying the physiologic responses to exchange transfusion with hemoglobin vesicles in anesthetized rats. Exchange transfusions with phosphate buffered saline, hemoglobin vesicles containing methemoglobin (and therefore, deprived of oxygen transporting capabilities), and washed rat red blood cells were used as controls. ⋯ Hemoglobin vesicles have an oxygen transporting capability almost equivalent to rat red blood cells and can be considered as a potential artificial oxygen carrier.
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Critical care medicine · Nov 1996
Detection of pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents in an animal model by assay of peptic activity in bronchoalveolar fluid.
To determine whether peptic activity in bronchoalveolar fluid, due to the presence of the gastric proteolytic enzyme pepsin, could serve as a biochemical marker for pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents. ⋯ The results of this study suggest that peptic activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid can be detected up to 60 mins after induced, experimental gastric juice aspiration and may prove a clinically useful biochemical marker for episodes of occult pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents.
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Critical care medicine · Oct 1996
Multicenter StudyPlanning patient services for intermediate care units: insights based on care for intensive care unit low-risk monitor admissions.
To describe the technology and nursing services that would be required to care for intensive care unit (ICU) low-risk monitor admissions in an intermediate unit. ⋯ The services received by ICU low-risk monitor admissions provide insight regarding the equipment and nursing care that might be required, and the kinds of emergencies that might occur, if these patients were cared for in medical and surgical intermediate care units. Our data suggest that if ICU low-risk monitor patients were admitted to an intermediate care unit, they would mainly require concentrated nursing care (nurse/patient ratio of 1:3 to 1:4) and limited technologic monitoring.