Medicina intensiva
-
Infection prevention is an intervention opportunity to promote patient safety. The strategies to obtain the full implementation of available prevention measures is the main challenge in clinical practice. Using care bundles, continuing education and feedback on adherence to the measures proposed are key points to improve the safety of patients in the Intensive Care Unit.
-
Letter Case Reports
[Severe hypernatremia due to sodium chloride intake].
-
To describe the characteristics and prognostic factors of elderly patients hospitalized for > or = 30 days in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). ⋯ ICU mortality rates in elderly patients with a stay < or > or = 30 days in the ICU were comparable. Survival at one year of the > or = 70 year-old patients whose long-term intensive care unit stay was > or = 30 days was high. These results are sufficient in our unit to justify prolonged ICU care for elderly patients.
-
In the last century, humankind has faced 3 major pandemics of influenza virus infections. The first one occurred in 1918 and caused a significant amount of deaths. It was also capable of crossing over species barrier and affecting mammals, and most worrisome, humans. ⋯ Since the virus lacks regulatory control of genetic division it undergoes constant mutations leading to new subtypes and, sometimes, new strains. The only drugs that have shown some protection are oseltamivir and zanamivir. It is crucial to develop effective and non-expensive vaccines to prevent the virus spread and infection not only in humans but in birds too.