Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Administration of diuretics has been shown to assist fluid management and improve clinical outcomes in the critically ill post-shock resolution. Current guidelines have not yet included standardization or guidance for diuretic-based de-resuscitation in critically ill patients. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a multi-disciplinary protocol for diuresis-guided de-resuscitation in the critically ill. ⋯ This study showed that a protocol for diuresis for de-resuscitation can significantly improve 72-h post-shock fluid balance with potential benefit on clinical outcomes.
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Multicenter Study
Pneumococcal purpura fulminans in asplenic or hyposplenic patients: a French multicenter exposed-unexposed retrospective cohort study.
Pneumococcal infections remain the main cause of overwhelming post-splenectomy infections, and purpura fulminans may develop in almost 20% of patients with overwhelming post-splenectomy infection. We aimed at describing the impact of asplenia/hyposplenia on the clinical features and the outcomes of adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for pneumococcal purpura fulminans. ⋯ Half of pneumococcal purpura fulminans episodes occurred in asplenic or hyposplenic patients. Pneumococcal vaccine coverage was reported in one third of asplenic/hyposplenic patients. Half of pneumococcal purpura fulminans episodes occurred more than 20 years after splenectomy. Outcomes of pneumococcal purpura fulminans did not show significant differences between patients with or without asplenia or hyposplenia, although the small number of patients included limited our power to detect potential differences between groups.
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In ventilated critical care patients, both T-piece and pressure support ventilation are comparable as spontaneous breathing trial techniques in their ability to predict successful extubation.
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Observational Study
Neuromonitoring of delirium with quantitative pupillometry in sedated mechanically ventilated critically ill patients.
Intensive care unit (ICU) delirium is a frequent secondary neurological complication in critically ill patients undergoing prolonged mechanical ventilation. Quantitative pupillometry is an emerging modality for the neuromonitoring of primary acute brain injury, but its potential utility in patients at risk of ICU delirium is unknown. ⋯ Sustained abnormalities of quantitative pupillary variables at the early ICU phase correlate with delirium and precede clinical diagnosis by a median 5 days. These findings suggest a potential utility of quantitative pupillometry in sedated mechanically ventilated ICU patients at high risk of delirium.