Medicina intensiva
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The diagnosis of influenza A/H1N1 is mainly clinical, particularly during peak or seasonal flu outbreaks. A diagnostic test should be performed in all patients with fever and flu symptoms that require hospitalization. The respiratory sample (nasal or pharyngeal exudate or deeper sample in intubated patients) should be obtained as soon as possible, with the immediate start of empirical antiviral treatment. ⋯ Immunocompromised patients and the population at risk should receive one dose and another dose annually. The frequency of adverse effects of the vaccine against A/H1N1 flu is similar to that of seasonal flu. Chemoprophylaxis must always be considered a supplement to vaccination, and is indicated in people at high risk of complications, as well in healthcare personnel who have been exposed.
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Falls from heights are a major preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in children. The aims of this study are to describe the evolution and long-term prognosis of such patients, to identify the pediatric population at greatest risk of falling from heights in our setting, and to define the variables at admission capable of predicting mortality. ⋯ Falls from heights occur mainly in unsupervised preschool children and teenagers attempting suicide. These patients have a high number of injuries, a high mortality rate, and important care needs. Most survivors are able to lead an independent life over the long term. Preventive measures should be implemented in risk populations.
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To evaluate the respiratory and hemodynamic changes during lung recruitment maneuvering (LRM) through stepwise increases and decreases in PEEP level. ⋯ 1) LRM increased Crs, improving oxygenation and decreasing ventilation pressure; 2) the main hemodynamic consequence was the drop in cardiac output and left ventricular preload; and 3) the unequal hemodynamic derangement in both branches, at the same level of PEEP and mean airway pressure, showed that, along with intrathoracic pressure, other factor such as Crs and hypercapnia may have influenced the hemodynamic consequences of this type of LRM.
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Mechanical ventilation in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) implies an increase in alveolar and transpulmonary pressure, giving rise to major alterations in pulmonary circulation and causing right ventricular functional overload that can lead to ventricular failure and thus to acute cor pulmonale. The condition is echocardiographically characterized by dilatation of the right ventricle and paradoxical movement of the interventricular septum, with the added alteration of left ventricular systolic function. It is important to take lung mechanical and hemodynamic monitoring into account when defining the ventilation strategy in such patients, optimizing lung recruitment without producing pulmonary over-distension phenomena that may lead to greater deterioration of right ventricle function. This approach is known as a right ventricle protective ventilation strategy.