Current opinion in critical care
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To emphasize the evolving body of evidence that supports the need for a more seamless and interconnected continuum of patient care for a growing compendium of critical care conditions, starting in the prehospital and emergency department (ED) phases of management and continuing through ICU and rehabilitation services. ⋯ This article discusses the basis and rationale for the 'critical care cascade' concept, which contends that the optimal management of critically ill patients should be a continuum of care through the healthcare system. In the critical care cascade, each patient is enrolled on a 'pathway' of management based on their working diagnosis and each and every healthcare provider engaged along that continuum acts as part of a interconnected coordinated team that ensures a specific endpoint for these patients in a bundled manner that seamlessly extends from the prehospital and ED phases to the ICU and rehabilitation services.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Aug 2009
ReviewA systems approach to the early recognition and rapid administration of best practice therapy in sepsis and septic shock.
The early recognition and treatment of sepsis is paramount to reducing the mortality of this disease. However, unlike trauma, stroke or acute myocardial infarction, the initial signs of sepsis are subtle and easily missed by clinicians. Thus, hospital-based systems are needed to identify and triage patients who might be septic. This review focuses on the early diagnosis of sepsis and the implementation of a systems-based approach to help coordinate the identification and treatment of patients with this disease. ⋯ The institution of a rapid response system for the detection and treatment of septic shock requires a multidisciplinary approach. The infrastructure to create such a system must be facilitated by administrators and implemented by front-line healthcare providers. Continuous assessment of the outcome benefit of such a system by a quality assurance team is the final part of a truly integrated approach to sepsis treatment.
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This review will examine the current scenario of critical care medicine and describe trends for the future. ⋯ The future of ICU will rely on management and teamwork. The costs of critical care will be restrained through the use of better management, guidelines, and skepticism regarding new technologies and drugs. Policy makers will help society build better strategies for critical care services.
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To provide updated information on recent developments within individual components of multimodal interventions to improve postoperative outcome (fast-track methodology). ⋯ Procedure-specific standardization of perioperative care programs (the fast-track methodology) should be adopted more widely and adjusted to current scientific evidence.