Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2002
Outcome and cost implications of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the medical intensive care unit of a comprehensive cancer center.
Intensive care unit (ICU) resources are frequently utilized in the supportive care of hospitalized patients with cancer. Patients with cancer reportedly have poor outcomes from cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and patient care costs of CPR applied to patients already receiving life support in an ICU. ⋯ The application of CPR to cancer patients receiving life support is costly and typically does not lead to long-term survival. Cancer patients requiring admission to an ICU should receive full supportive care short of resuscitation. Providing assurances that care will remain appropriate, aggressive, and in accordance with the patient's and family's wishes can optimize compassionate care while avoiding futile life-sustaining interventions.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2002
Isometric strength measurement for muscle weakness in cancer patients: reproducibility of isometric muscle strength measurements with a hand-held pull-gauge dynamometer in cancer patients.
Our aim was to determine several indexes of reproducibility for strength measurements with a hand-held pull-gauge dynamometer (MFB50K) in cancer patients. Two independent testers performed repeated measurements of maximal isometric elbow and knee strength. The measurements were gathered in a convenience sample of 40 patients (27 men, age 20-72 years) with various types and stages of cancer. ⋯ The Pearson product moment correlation and the ICC suggested good reproducibility. However, the more informative indices of reproducibility, i.e. the SEM and the SDD, showed relatively large measurement error between the testers. Therefore, the current use of the MFB50K for the measurement of muscle strength is not supported in cancer patients.