Current opinion in critical care
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Aug 2021
ReviewThe medical treatment of cardiogenic shock: cardiovascular drugs.
To discuss the use of vasopressors and inotropes in cardiogenic shock. ⋯ Recent studies have refined the position of the various vasopressor and inotropic agents. Norepinephrine is recommended as first-line vasopressor agent by various guidelines. Among inotropic agents, selection between the agents should be individualized and based on the hemodynamic response.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Aug 2021
ReviewObjective assessment of metabolism and guidance of ICU rehabilitation with cardiopulmonary exercise testing.
Addressing the reduced quality of life that affects ICU survivors is the most pressing challenge in critical care medicine. In order to meet this challenge, we must translate lessons learnt from assessing and training athletes to the clinical population, utilizing measurable and targeted parameters obtained during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). ⋯ CPET shows great promise in the guidance of rehabilitation in functionally limited ICU survivors. Parallels in the physiological response to exercise in athletes and clinical populations with the stress and consequences of critical illness must be investigated and ultimately applied to the burgeoning population of ICU survivors in order to treat the consequences of survival from critical illness.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Aug 2021
ReviewMonitoring muscle mass using ultrasound: a key role in critical care.
The loss of muscle mass in critically ill patients contributes to morbidity and mortality, and results in impaired recovery of physical functioning. The number of publications on the topic is increasing. However, there is a lack of consistent methodology and the most optimal methodology remains unclear, hampering its broad use in clinical practice. ⋯ The use of ultrasound in clinical practice is feasible for monitoring muscle mass in critically ill patients. Assessment of muscle mass by ultrasound is clinically relevant and adds value for guiding therapeutic interventions, such as nutritional and physical therapy interventions to maintain muscle mass and promote recovery in critically ill patients.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Aug 2021
ReviewIndirect calorimetry in critical illness: a new standard of care?
Review recent literature on the role of indirect calorimetry in critical care nutrition management. ⋯ Personalized ICU care demands objective data to guide therapy. This includes use of indirect calorimetry to determine energy expenditure and guide ICU nutrition therapy. Long-awaited new innovations in indirect calorimetry technology should finally lead to indirect calorimetry to becoming a fundamental component of modern ICU standard of care and clinical research moving forward.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Aug 2021
ReviewBioelectric impedance analysis for body composition measurement and other potential clinical applications in critical illness.
Insight into body composition is of great value in the ICU. Bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) is the most applicable bedside technique. However, bioimpedance has not been validated in the critically ill, and the interpretation of the measurements poses challenges. This review discusses the potential clinical applications of BIA and explores caveats and solutions to its use in the intensive care setting. ⋯ There are currently too many uncertainties and discrepancies regarding interpretation of bioimpedance in critical illness, to justify therapeutic consequences. However, there are several promising areas of research, concerning some of the most urgent clinical problems in intensive care, emphasizing the need to evaluate further the use and interpretation of bioimpedance in the intensive care setting.