Medicina intensiva
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To validate the Spanish version of the CAM-ICU. ⋯ The Spanish version of the CAM-ICU is reliable. Its sensitivity, specificity and predictive values should be considered good.
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Review Practice Guideline
[General considerations on brain death and recommendations on the clinical decisions after its diagnosis. Red/Consejo Iberoamericano de Donación y Trasplante].
The objective of the Latin American Network/Council of Donation and Transplant is to develop cooperation among its member states in all aspects related to donation and transplant of organs, tissue and cells. Given that diagnosing brain death (BD) is one of the key issues for the procurement of organs for transplant, the Network/Council seeks to contribute to defining the accepted concept of BD and its diagnosis and to disseminate this information among healthcare workers. In this report, we present the general guidelines on brain death and recommendations for clinical decisions after its diagnosis established and approved by the Latin American Network/Council of Donation and Transplant at its sixth meeting held in La Havana, Cuba, in May 2008. ⋯ Once a diagnosis of BD has been confirmed, the possibility of organ donation should always be considered and the appropriate organ maintenance measures initiated. If organ donation is contraindicated, all support measures should be withdrawn including mechanical respiration. The decision to withdraw all support measures is consistent with the clinical-legal diagnosis and supported by several scientific and bioethics societies.
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Case Reports
[Pneumonia and the acute respiratory distress syndrome due to influenza A (H1N1) virus].
The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and acute lung injury (ALI) are part of a devastating syndrome characterized by acute onset, hypoxemia, and bilateral infiltrates on chest x-rays. ALI/ARDS is the response of the lung to a local or systemic aggression, resulting in local inflammation and coagulation disorders, which lead to increased inflammatory pulmonary edema. ARDS is a major cause of morbidity, death, and cost in intensive care units. ⋯ The influenza A (H1N1) virus caused a global pandemia 91 years ago, with sporadic outbreaks afterward. The new influenza A pandemia was transmitted from swine to humans. Infection by the influenza A (H1N1) virus can cause severe respiratory illness, the acute respiratory distress syndrome, and secondary infections among healthcare workers.