Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Sepsis coincides with altered gene expression in different tissues. Accumulating evidence has suggested that microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs are important molecules involved in the crosstalk with various pathways pertinent to innate immunity, mitochondrial functions, and apoptosis. ⋯ Although non-coding RNAs appear to be good candidates as biomarkers and therapeutics for sepsis, their differential expression across tissues complicated the process. Further investigation on organ-specific delivery of these regulatory molecules may be useful.
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If the proportional assist ventilation (PAV) level is known, muscular effort can be estimated from the difference between peak airway pressure and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) (ΔP) during PAV. We conjectured that deducing muscle pressure from ΔP may be an interesting method to set PAV, and tested this hypothesis using the oesophageal pressure time product calculation. ⋯ Deducing maximal muscular pressure from ΔP during PAV has limited accuracy. The extrapolated pressure time product from ΔP is usually less than the pressure time product calculated from oesophageal pressure tracing. However, when the PAV gain was adjusted to Pmus, aw of 5-10 cmH2O, there was a 90% probability of PTPoes and PTPoes, PEEPi within acceptable ranges. This information should be considered when applying ΔP to set PAV under various gains.
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Targeted temperature management is recommended after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and may be achieved using a variety of cooling devices. This study was conducted to explore the performance and outcomes for intravascular versus surface devices for targeted temperature management after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. ⋯ Intravascular and surface cooling was equally effective during induction of mild hypothermia. However, surface cooling was associated with less precision during the maintenance phase. There was no difference in adverse events, mortality or poor neurological outcomes between patients treated with intravascular and surface cooling devices.
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Comparative Study
Manual versus Automated moNitoring Accuracy of GlucosE II (MANAGE II).
Intravascular continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) may facilitate glycemic control in the intensive care unit (ICU). We compared the accuracy of a CGM device (OptiScanner®) with a standard reference method. ⋯ Based on the MARD, the performance of the OptiScanner® is adequate for use in ICU patients. Because recent standards for accuracy were not met, the OptiScanner® should not be used as a sole monitor. The assessment of glycemic variability is influenced by the time interval between BG determinations.
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Antipsychotics are used to treat delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU) despite unproven efficacy. We hypothesized that atypical antipsychotic treatment in the ICU is a risk factor for antipsychotic prescription at discharge, a practice that might increase risk since long-term use is associated with increased mortality. ⋯ In this study, antipsychotics were used to treat nearly half of all antipsychotic-naïve ICU patients and were prescribed at discharge to 24% of antipsychotic-treated patients. Treatment with an atypical antipsychotic greatly increased the odds of discharge with an antipsychotic prescription, a practice that should be examined carefully during medication reconciliation since these drugs carry "black box warnings" regarding long-term use.