Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is associated with increased medical resource utilization, but few randomized studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of initial antibiotic therapy. To assess medical resource utilization in patients with VAP, we conducted a pooled analysis of two prospective, randomized, open-label, multicenter, phase III studies, which also showed that doripenem was clinically noninferior to comparators. ⋯ Doripenem was associated with lower medical resource utilization than comparators. Differences in antipseudomonal activity may have contributed to these findings.
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Comparative Study
Does intensive insulin therapy really reduce mortality in critically ill surgical patients? A reanalysis of meta-analytic data.
Two recent systematic reviews evaluating intensive insulin therapy (IIT) in critically ill patients grouped randomized controlled trials (RCTs) by type of intensive care unit (ICU). The more recent review found that IIT reduced mortality in patients admitted to a surgical ICU, but not in those admitted to medical ICUs or mixed medical-surgical ICUs, or in all patients combined. Our objective was to determine whether IIT saves lives in critically ill surgical patients regardless of the type of ICU. ⋯ There was statistical heterogeneity in the surgical subgroup, with some trials demonstrating significant benefit and others demonstrating significant harm, but no surgical subgroup consistently benefited from IIT. Such a reanalysis suggests that IIT does not reduce mortality in critically ill surgical patients or medical patients. Further insights may come from individual patient data meta-analyses or from future large multicenter RCTs in more narrowly defined subgroups of surgical patients.
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A large number of patients resuscitated for primary cardiac arrest arrive in the intensive care unit (ICU) with a body temperature < 35.0 degrees C. The aim of this observational cohort study was to determine the association between ICU admission temperature and neurological outcome in this patient group. ⋯ In this observational cohort study, spontaneous hypothermia on ICU admission was the strongest predictor of an unfavorable neurological outcome in patients resuscitated for primary cardiac arrest.
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Comparative Study
Common NFKBIL2 polymorphisms and susceptibility to pneumococcal disease: a genetic association study.
Streptococcus pneumoniae remains a major global health problem and a leading cause of death in children worldwide. The factors that influence development of pneumococcal sepsis remain poorly understood, although increasing evidence points towards a role for genetic variation in the host's immune response. Recent insights from the study of animal models, rare human primary immunodeficiency states, and population-based genetic epidemiology have focused attention on the role of the proinflammatory transcription factor NF-κB in pneumococcal disease pathogenesis. The possible role of genetic variation in the atypical NF-κB inhibitor IκB-R, encoded by NFKBIL2, in susceptibility to invasive pneumococcal disease has not, to our knowledge, previously been reported upon. ⋯ Common NFKBIL2 polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to invasive pneumococcal disease in European and African populations. These findings further highlight the importance of control of NF-κB in host defence against pneumococcal disease.
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Hyperglycemia is common in critically ill patients and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Strict glycemic control improves outcomes in some adult populations and may have similar effects in children. While glycemic control has become standard care in adults, little is known regarding hyperglycemia management strategies used by pediatric critical care practitioners. We sought to assess both the beliefs and practice habits regarding glycemic control in pediatric intensive care units (ICUs) in the United States (US). ⋯ Considerable disparity exists between physician beliefs and actual practice habits regarding glycemic control among pediatric practitioners, with few centers reporting the use of any consistent standard approach to screening and management. Physicians wishing to practice glycemic control in their critically ill pediatric patients may want to consider adopting center-wide uniform approaches to improve safety and efficacy of treatment.