Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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In patients with acute kidney injury and concomitant severe hyponatraemia or hypernatraemia, rapid correction of the serum Na+ concentration needs to be avoided. The present paper outlines the principles of how to adjust the Na+ concentration in the replacement fluid during continuous renal replacement therapy to prevent rapid changes of the serum Na+ concentration.
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The importance of adrenal function to survival in critically ill patients has been established; however, identifying the best method to diagnose adrenal insufficiency has been problematic. Multiple methods of determining adrenal function have been developed, each with its advantages and disadvantages. Serum-free cortisol levels are probably the most accurate, although obtaining this result is technically demanding. Cohen and colleagues investigated the feasibility of measuring tissue cortisol levels in burn patients and whether tissue cortisol levels could be used as a surrogate for plasma-free cortisol levels.
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The objectives were to characterize alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) in pigs with normal lungs and to analyze the effect of immediate application of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). ⋯ In this pig model, the AFC rate is around 20% at one hour and around 50% at four hours, regardless of the amount of edema, and is increased by the application of PEEP.
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Acute kidney injury is commonly encountered and in the critically ill treatment is principally supportive. A recent large, multicentre study has used retrospective analysis to try and identify patient outcomes when commencing renal replacement therapy using conventional biochemical and physiological markers. The authors have also made an attempt to decipher when to commence renal replacement therapy.
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Infections produce severe respiratory muscle weakness, which contributes to the development of respiratory failure. An effective, safe therapy to prevent respiratory muscle dysfunction in infected patients has not been defined. This study examined the effect of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an immunomodulator that can be safely administered to patients, on diaphragm force generation following endotoxin administration. ⋯ These data indicate that endotoxin-induced reductions in diaphragm specific force generation can be partially prevented by administration of EPA, a nontoxic biopharmaceutical that can be safely given to patients. We speculate that it may be possible to reduce infection-induced skeletal muscle weakness in critically ill patients by administration of EPA.