American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Development of ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia after an initial rhythm of pulseless electrical activity or asystole is associated with significantly increased cardiac arrest mortality. ⋯ More frequent administration of epinephrine during cardiac arrest is associated with development of secondary ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia.
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Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are being increasingly integrated into intensive care unit and hospital-based care teams, yet limited information is available on provider to patient ratios. ⋯ Additional information on factors influencing provider to patient ratios and specific components of the roles of nurse practitioners and physician assistants will be important to ensure the best utilization of these providers to enable optimal patient care outcomes.
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Up to 50 000 intensive care unit interhospital transfers occur annually in the United States. ⋯ Interhospital transfers of cancer patients to an intensive care unit at an oncological center are infrequent but are most commonly done for direct interventional care. Most patients received planned interventions soon after transfer.
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Case Reports
A case of thyrotoxic periodic paralysis with respiratory failure in an african american woman.
Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis is an acute endocrine emergency characterized by hyperthyroidism, profound muscle weakness and/or paralysis, and hypokalemia that is not due to potassium deficiency. Typically described in young males of Asian descent, it is becoming increasingly recognized outside of this demographic group and is believed to be an underrecognized cause of symptomatic hypokalemia. Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis usually manifests as acute onset of symmetrical distal extremity weakness and is treated with careful potassium replacement and nonselective β-blockers. In this case, a 43-year-old African American woman with thyrotoxic periodic paralysis had recurrent lower extremity myopathy and acute respiratory failure precipitated by noncompliance with treatment for Graves disease.