Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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The primary aim of this study was to determine whether hypophosphatemia during continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) is associated with the global outcome of critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). ⋯ Hypophosphatemia during CVVH associated with the global clinical outcome of critically ill patients with AKI. The ratio of CVVH therapy days with hypophosphatemia over total CVVH therapy days was independently associated with the 28-day mortality, and high ratio conferred higher mortality rate.
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The negative prediction of intrinsic versus transient acute kidney injury (AKI) in septic patients may be facilitated by combined assessment of fractional excretion of sodium and urea. If both excretions are high this would signal the presence of transient AKI and suggest that successful restoration of diuresis by conservative therapy is likely, thus supporting a wait-and-watch approach regarding the initiation of acute renal replacement therapy.
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Dr Blixt and colleagues show in an elegant pilot study that the continuous measurement of glucose in venous blood by microdialysis in a central venous catheter is feasible in critically ill patients. The performance of this type of continuous glucose monitoring device equals the performance of the commonly used handheld blood glucose meters. But are we, as ICU physicians and nurses, now ready to implement such continuous blood glucose sensors into the daily practice of the ICU? The only yardstick to this is "are these devices truly helping us ...in our critically ill patients".
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Blood culture (BC) testing before initiation of antimicrobial therapy is recommended as a standard of care in international sepsis guidelines and has been shown to reduce intensive care unit (ICU) stay, antibiotic use, and costs in hospitalized patients. Whereas microbiological laboratory practice has been highly standardized, shortfalls in the preanalytic procedures in the ICU (that is indication, time-to-incubation, blood volume and numbers of BC sets) have a significant effect on the diagnostic yield. The objective of this study was to gain insights into current practices regarding BC testing in intensive care units. ⋯ There are considerable differences in the quality of BC testing across European countries. In Germany, time to incubation is a considerable problem due to the increasing number of remote LABs. This is a major issue of concern to physicians aiming to implement sepsis guidelines in the ICUs.
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Open visitation has been highly recommended by critical care groups but is not prevalent in practice. Here we discuss the present study on current visitation practices in US ICUs and discuss several factors affecting open visitation. We conclude with suggestions on achieving more liberal visitation practices.