Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Arterial concentrations of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) and oxygen (PaO2) during admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) may substantially affect organ perfusion and outcome after cardiac arrest. Our aim was to investigate the independent and synergistic effects of both parameters on hospital mortality. ⋯ The effects of aberrant arterial carbon dioxide and arterial oxygen concentrations were independently but not synergistically associated with hospital mortality after cardiac arrest.
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Observational Study
Relationship between a perioperative intravenous fluid administration strategy and acute kidney injury following off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery: an observational study.
Saline-based and hydroxyethyl starch solutions are associated with increased risk of renal dysfunction. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that balanced solutions and a limited volume of hydroxyethyl starch solution (renal protective fluid management [RPF] strategy) would decrease the incidence of postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) and improve clinical outcomes in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery (OPCAB). ⋯ The RPF strategy is associated with a significantly decreased incidence of postoperative, severe, and persistent AKI in patients undergoing OPCAB, although residual confounding may be present.
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Endotracheal intubation is frequently complicated by laryngeal edema, which may present as postextubation stridor or respiratory difficulty or both. Ultimately, postextubation laryngeal edema may result in respiratory failure with subsequent reintubation. Risk factors for postextubation laryngeal edema include female gender, large tube size, and prolonged intubation. ⋯ The preferential treatment of postextubation laryngeal edema consists of intravenous or nebulized corticosteroids combined with nebulized epinephrine, although no data on the optimal treatment algorithm are available. In the presence of respiratory failure, reintubation should be performed without delay. Application of noninvasive ventilation or inhalation of a helium/oxygen mixture is not indicated since it does not improve outcome and increases the delay to intubation.
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As evidence-based effective treatment protocols for delirium after cardiac surgery are lacking, efforts should be made to identify risk factors for preventive interventions. Moreover, knowledge of these risk factors could increase validity of etiological studies in which adjustments need to be made for confounding variables. This review aims to systematically identify risk factors for delirium after cardiac surgery and to grade the evidence supporting these associations. ⋯ Of many potential risk factors for delirium after cardiac surgery, for only 11 there is a strong or moderate level of evidence. These risk factors should be taken in consideration when designing future delirium prevention strategies trials or when controlling for confounding in future etiological studies.
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Serum lactate level may correlate with no-flow and low-flow status during cardiac arrest. Current guidelines have no recommended durations for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before transition to the next strategy. We hypothesized that the lactate level measured during CPR could be associated with the survival probability and accordingly be useful in estimating the optimal duration for CPR. ⋯ Serum lactate level measured during CPR could correlate with survival outcomes. A lactate level threshold of 9 mmol/L may be used as a reference value to identify patients with different survival probabilities and determine the optimal CPR durations.