Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Dec 1993
Multicenter Study Clinical TrialPrognostic value of the dobutamine test in patients with sepsis syndrome and normal lactate values: a prospective, multicenter study.
To determine the oxygen supply (DO2) and uptake (VO2) responses to a 60-min dobutamine infusion in critically ill septic patients without circulatory shock and with normal blood lactate concentrations. Also, to determine whether these responses would predict outcome. ⋯ Most of these septic patients without shock or hyperlactatemia responded to dobutamine infusion in one of two ways: with little increase in DO2 and no increase in VO2, or with significant increases in both DO2 and VO2. The latter response is typical of healthy volunteers given dobutamine. Because of the calorigenic effect of dobutamine, our results imply nothing about the presence or absence of oxygen supply limitation. Still, patients who had increases in DO2 and VO2 had a much higher survival rate than patients who did not. We speculate that the inability of some patients to respond to dobutamine and the associated higher mortality rate may be related to beta-adrenoreceptor dysfunction.
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Critical care medicine · Dec 1993
Cardiac arrest presenting with rhythms other than ventricular fibrillation: contribution of resuscitative efforts toward total survivorship.
The medical literature portrays a bleak prognosis for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases presenting with asystole, idioventricular rhythms with pulselessness, or primary electromechanical dissociation. In view of evolving philosophies to waive resuscitation attempts in such cases, we sought to delineate the actual contribution toward overall survivorship that is provided by resuscitation efforts for patients who have these electrocardiographic presentations. ⋯ Despite poor survival "rates," resuscitative efforts for patients presenting with asystole, electromechanical dissociation, and idioventricular rhythms with pulselessness all contribute significantly toward a community's total survivorship from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Initial, aggressive attempts at resuscitation still should be emphasized in such patients.