Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Closed-loop assisted versus manual goal-directed fluid therapy during high-risk abdominal surgery: a case-control study with propensity matching.
Goal-directed fluid therapy strategies have been shown to benefit moderate- to high-risk surgery patients. Despite this, these strategies are often not implemented. The aim of this study was to assess a closed-loop fluid administration system in a surgical cohort and compare the results with those for matched patients who received manual management. Our hypothesis was that the patients receiving closed-loop assistance would spend more time in a preload-independent state, defined as percentage of case time with stroke volume variation less than or equal to 12%. ⋯ In this case-control study with propensity matching, clinician use of closed-loop assistance resulted in a greater portion of case time spent in a preload-independent state throughout surgery compared with manual delivery of goal-directed fluid therapy.
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This review emphasizes the benefits of parenteral nutrition (PN) in critically ill patients, when prescribed for relevant indications, in adequate quantities, and in due time. Critically ill patients are at risk of energy deficit during their ICU stay, a condition which leads to unfavorable outcomes, due to hypercatabolism secondary to the stress response and the difficulty to optimize feeding. Indirect calorimetry is recommended to define the energy target, since no single predictive equation accurately estimates energy expenditure. ⋯ EN is the first choice for critically ill patients, but difficulties providing optimal nutrition through exclusive EN are frequently encountered. In cases of insufficient EN, individualized supplemental PN should be administered to reduce the infection rate and the duration of mechanical ventilation. PN is a safe therapeutic option as long as sufficient attention is given to avoid hypercaloric feeding.
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Intensive care is expensive, and thus a body of research has focused on strategies to reduce its costs. However, efforts to reduce the total cost of intensive care have met with limited success, partly because of the challenges of calculating how much a day in the ICU actually costs. We discuss these challenges and introduce the concept of total cost savings as an outcome of critical care trials, assuming statistically negative effects on mortality and quality of life.
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Comparisons of processes of care are common in critical care research. Often, these processes are neither explicit nor replicable and this can result in seemingly irreconcilable results. Here, we briefly review the article by Taniguchi and colleagues, who studied liberation from mechanical ventilation by using either a computerized weaning protocol or one driven by respiratory therapists. We discuss the implications of explicit protocols increasing replicability in clinical research.
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Lactic acidosis is a very common biological issue for shock patients. Experimental data clearly demonstrate that metabolic acidosis, including lactic acidosis, participates in the reduction of cardiac contractility and in the vascular hyporesponsiveness to vasopressors through various mechanisms. However, the contributions of each mechanism responsible for these deleterious effects have not been fully determined and their respective consequences on organ failure are still poorly defined, particularly in humans. ⋯ Indeed, bicarbonate induces carbon dioxide generation and hypocalcemia, both cardiovascular depressant factors. This review addresses the principal hemodynamic consequences of shock-associated lactic acidosis. Despite the lack of formal evidence, this review also highlights the various adapted supportive therapy options that could be putatively added to causal treatment in attempting to reverse the hemodynamic consequences of shock-associated lactic acidosis.