Critical care medicine
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The development of a multifactorial coagulopathy after massive transfusion is a well-recognized clinical problem that is almost always accompanied by hypothermia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the isolated effect of alterations of temperature on the integrity of the coagulation cascade. Prothrombin times and partial thromboplastin times were each performed 15 times on samples of pooled normal plasma at the temperatures of 37 degrees C, 34 degrees C, 31 degrees C, and 28 degrees C, as well as 39 degrees C and 41 degrees C. ⋯ The series of enzymatic reactions of the coagulation cascade are strongly inhibited by hypothermia, as demonstrated by the dramatic prolongation of prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time tests at hypothermic deviations from normal temperature in a situation where factor levels were all known to be normal. Clinicians who deal with critically ill massively transfused hypothermic patients all recognize the inevitable appearance of a coagulopathy that has a multifactorial origin. Unless specifically considered, the contribution of hypothermia to the hemorrhagic diathesis may be overlooked since coagulation testing is performed at 37 degrees C, rather than at the patient's actual in vivo temperature.
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Critical care medicine · Sep 1992
Comparative StudyFactors related to quality of life 12 months after discharge from an intensive care unit.
To perform an analysis of the quality of life of survivors after ICU discharge. ⋯ Twelve months after discharge from the ICU, a patient's functional status, as measured by the Quality of Life score, is influenced most by age and their Quality of Life score at the time of ICU admission. While there is an overall decrease in the Quality of Life score for survivors, admission and treatment in an ICU do not always result in deterioration of the Quality of Life score. This study indicates that Quality of Life scores could become a routine part of patient evaluation.
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Critical care medicine · Sep 1992
Comparative StudyAn initial comparison of intensive care in Japan and the United States.
The objective of this study was to compare the utilization of, and outcome from, critical care services in selected medical centers providing secondary and tertiary care in the United States and Japan. ⋯ In this sample of hospitals, similar high-technology critical care is available in the United States and Japan. Variations in utilization between the two countries represent differences in case mix and bed availability. The APACHE II equation stratified patients in the Japanese patient cohort across the full spectrum of increasing severity of illness.
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Critical care medicine · Sep 1992
Comparative StudyEnergy expenditure and gas exchange measurements in postoperative patients: thermodilution versus indirect calorimetry.
To compare a method of measuring energy expenditure and gas exchange using the Fick principle with the standard indirect calorimetry technique. ⋯ In postoperative patients, while VO2 and energy expenditure measurements by thermodilution are easy to perform and accurate for clinical purposes, VCO2, and respiratory quotient measurements are too imprecise and inaccurate to serve any useful function. Therefore, in those clinical situations in which an evaluation of respiratory quotient and substrate utilization may be useful for purposes of metabolic care of the surgical patient, precise measurements of gas exchange with indirect calorimetry are mandatory.