Current opinion in critical care
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Liver transplantation remains the only definitive treatment for advanced liver disease and liver failure. Current allocation schemes utilized for liver transplantation mandate a 'sickest first' approach, thus most liver transplants occur in patients with severe systemic illness. For intensive care providers who care for liver transplant recipients, a foundation of knowledge of technical considerations of orthotopic liver transplantation, basic management considerations, and common complications is essential. This review highlights the authors' approach to intensive care management of the postoperative liver transplant recipient with a review of common issues, which arise in this patient population. ⋯ Given a global increase in liver transplantation, an increasing number of intensive care professionals are likely to care for this patient population. For these providers, a foundational knowledge of the common complications and key management considerations is essential.
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To summarize the recent evidence on acute mesenteric ischaemia (AMI). ⋯ Improved awareness and knowledge of AMI are needed to raise the suspicion of AMI in relevant patients and thereby to achieve better outcomes.
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While it is now widely established acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and important complication of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) disease, there is marked variability in its reported incidence and outcomes. This narrative review provides a mid-2022 summary of the latest epidemiological evidence on AKI in COVID-19. ⋯ This review summarises the epidemiology, risk factors, outcomes and treatment of COVID-19-associated AKI across the global pandemic. In particular the long-term impact of COVID-19 disease on kidney health is uncertain and requires further characterisation.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Dec 2022
ReviewProviding respiratory and ventilation care in the face of shifting evidence: current opinion in critical care.
To review the clinical problem and noninvasive treatments of hypoxemia in critically-ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia and describe recent advances in evidence supporting bedside decision making. ⋯ The use of noninvasive oxygen strategies and our understanding of the proposed mechanisms are evolving. Variability in patient severity and physiology may dictate a personalized approach to care. High-flow nasal oxygen may be paired with awake and spontaneously breathing prone-positioning to optimize oxygen and lung mechanics but requires further insight before widely applying to clinical practice.
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Acute kidney injury is a heterogeneous syndrome and as such is associated with multiple predisposing conditions and causes all of which affect outcomes. Such heterogeneity may conceal the potential benefit of therapies when generally applied to patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). The discovery of pathophysiology-based subphenotypes could be of benefit in allocating current and future therapies to specific groups. ⋯ Subphenotyping may help reduce heterogeneity under the umbrella term of acute kidney injury. Despite challenges remain, the identification of AKI subphenotypes has opened the potential of AKI research focused on better targeted therapies.