Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of total cholesterol and statin therapy on mortality in ARDS patients: a secondary analysis of the SAILS and HARP-2 trials.
Two acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) trials showed no benefit for statin therapy, though secondary analyses suggest inflammatory subphenotypes may have a differential response to simvastatin. Statin medications decrease cholesterol levels, and low cholesterol has been associated with increased mortality in critical illness. We hypothesized that patients with ARDS and sepsis with low cholesterol could be harmed by statins. ⋯ Cholesterol levels are low in two cohorts with sepsis-related ARDS, and those in the lowest cholesterol quartile are sicker. Despite the very low levels of cholesterol, simvastatin therapy seems safe and may reduce mortality in this group, though rosuvastatin was associated with harm.
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During septic shock, fluid therapy is aimed at increasing cardiac output and improving tissue oxygenation, but it poses two problems: it has inconsistent and transient efficacy, and it has many well-documented deleterious effects. We suggest that there is a place for its personalization according to the patient characteristics and the clinical situation, at all stages of circulatory failure. Regarding the choice of fluid for volume expansion, isotonic saline induces hyperchloremic acidosis, but only for very large volumes administered. ⋯ In case of abdominal problems, the intra-abdominal pressure should be taken into account. Finally, fluid depletion in the de-escalation phase is considered in patients with significant fluid accumulation. Fluid removal can be guided by preload responsiveness testing, since haemodynamic deterioration is likely to occur in patients with a preload dependent state.
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Current practice guidelines for optimal infusion rates during early intravenous hydration in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) remain inconsistent. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare treatment outcomes between aggressive and non-aggressive intravenous hydration in severe and non-severe AP. ⋯ Aggressive intravenous hydration increased the mortality risk in severe AP, and fluid-related complication risk in both severe and non-severe AP. More conservative intravenous fluid resuscitation protocols for AP are suggested.