Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Preoperative hemodilution is an established practice that is applied to reduce surgical blood loss. It has been proposed that polyethylene glycol (PEG) surface decorated proteins such as PEG-conjugated human serum albumin may be used as non-oxygen-carrying plasma expanders. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is any difference in survival time after severe hemorrhagic shock following extreme hemodilution using a conventional hydroxyethyl starch (HES)-based plasma expander or PEG-albumin. ⋯ The ability of PEG-albumin to prolong maintenance of microvascular function better than HES is a finding that would be significant in a clinical setting involving preoperative blood management and extreme blood loss.
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Patients triaged to tertiary care centers frequently undergo rotary-wing transport and may be exposed to additional risk for adverse events. The incidence of physiologic adverse events and their predisposing factors in mechanically ventilated patients undergoing aeromedical transport are unknown. ⋯ Major adverse events are rare during interfacility, rotary-wing transfer of critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients. Patients transferred over a longer distance or transferred on vasopressors may be at greater risk for minor adverse events during flight.
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Intensive care unit (ICU) admission for bone marrow transplant recipients immediately following transplantation is an ominous event, yet the survival of these patients with subsequent ICU admissions is unknown. Our objective was to determine the long-term outcome of bone marrow transplant recipients admitted to an ICU during subsequent hospitalizations. ⋯ The prognosis of bone marrow transplant recipients receiving ICU care during subsequent hospitalizations is very poor but should not be considered futile.
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Electronic patient records are becoming more common in critical care. As their design and implementation are optimized for single users rather than for groups, we aimed to understand the differences in interaction between members of a multidisciplinary team during ward rounds using an electronic, as opposed to paper, patient medical record. ⋯ We discuss technical and social solutions for minimizing the impact of introducing an electronic patient record, emphasizing the need to balance both. We note that awareness of the effects of technology can enable ward-round teams to adapt their formations and information sources to facilitate multidisciplinary communication during the ward round.
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Delivery of bronchodilators with a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) and a spacer device in mechanically ventilated patients has become a widespread practice. However, except for the short-acting beta2-agonist salbutamol, the duration of action of other bronchodilators, including long-acting beta2-agonists, delivered with this technique is not well established. The purpose of this study was to examine the duration of bronchodilation induced by the long-acting beta2-agonist salmeterol administered with an MDI and a spacer in a group of mechanically ventilated patients with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). ⋯ It is concluded that four puffs of salmeterol delivered with an MDI and a spacer device induces significant bronchodilation in mechanically ventilated patients with COPD exacerbation, the duration of which is highly variable, precluding definite conclusions in regard to optimum dosing schedules.