Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Jul 1991
Measurement of systolic blood pressure using pulse oximetry during helicopter flight.
Monitoring of vital signs in critically ill patients during helicopter flight is difficult because of the noise and vibrations of the aircraft. We evaluated the use of a pulse oximeter to measure systolic BP intraflight. ⋯ We conclude that a pulse oximeter that displays a plethysmographic waveform can accurately measure systolic BP intraflight.
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Critical care medicine · Jul 1991
Intensive care unit patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia: suggested predictors of hospital outcome.
To define our ICU experience with AIDS patients, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, and respiratory failure, and to delineate factors predictive of hospital survival. ⋯ When dealing with AIDS/P. carinii pneumonia/ICU patients, it is not possible to distinguish who will survive to hospital discharge based on information routinely available before ICU admission. Those patients with the greatest chance of survival demonstrate a significant decrease in the required level of respiratory support within the first 4 days of ICU care. The presence of a metabolic acidemia (pH less than 7.35 and base deficit greater than 4 mEq/L), at any time during the ICU course, is a poor prognostic sign. We suggest that such objective variables should be included in the development of any new outcome predictor model for this group of ICU patients.
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Critical care medicine · Jul 1991
Immune dysfunction in children after corrective surgery for congenital heart disease.
To study the effect of open- and closed-heart surgery on the immune status of infants and children. ⋯ The immune system is affected after pediatric cardiac surgery, particularly after open-heart surgery.
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Critical care medicine · Jul 1991
Risk factors for the misdiagnosis of pneumothorax in the intensive care unit.
To identify risk factors predisposing to the misdiagnosis of pneumothorax in the ICU. ⋯ Certain medical ICU patients appear to be at higher risk for the initial misdiagnosis of pneumothorax. Familiarity with factors predisposing to this problem should allow for a higher index of suspicion for the diagnosis of pneumothorax in critically ill patients and possibly improve the early detection of pneumothorax.