Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Donnino and colleagues provide new insights into the field of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction during septic shock. These authors suggest a coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) deficiency in patients with septic shock. Larger prospective observational trials measuring CoQ10 in patients with septic shock are required to confirm the possibility of CoQ10 depletion. This study is a new step toward a study testing CoQ10 as a potential therapeutic agent for patients with septic shock.
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The rapid response system concept is one of the first patient-centered and organizational-wide systems aimed at preventing deaths and serious adverse events. It has been strongly argued that we need a benchmark that reflects the care of a deteriorating patient across the organization using a 'score to door time'; that is, the time from the first vital sign abnormality to admission to the ICU. The study by Oglesby and colleagues highlights serious issues, especially delays, which could adversely impact on patient care, and the study proposes that we concentrate more on measuring patient care from a broad perspective.
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Sepsis continues to pose a clear challenge as one of the most difficult and costly problems to treat and prevent. Sepsis is caused by systemic or localized infections that damage the integrity of microcirculation in multiple organs. The challenge of sepsis and its long-term sequelae was addressed by the National Institutes of Health National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Division of Blood Diseases and Resources. Defining sepsis as severe endothelial dysfunction syndrome that causes multiorgan failure in response to intravascular or extravascular microbial agents, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute panel proposed the concept of genome wars as a platform for new diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive approaches to sepsis.
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Because patient-ventilator asynchrony (PVA) is recognized as a major clinical problem for patients undergoing ventilatory assistance, automatic methods of PVA detection have been proposed in recent years. A novel approach is airflow spectral analysis, which, when related to visual inspection of airway pressure and flow waveforms, has been shown to reach a sensitivity and specificity of greater than 80% in detecting an asynchrony index of greater than 10%. The availability of automatic non-invasive methods of PVA detection at the bedside would likely be of benefit in intensive care unit practice, but they may be limited by shortcomings, so clear proof of their effectiveness is needed.
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Protocols using high levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) in combination with low tidal volumes have been shown to reduce mortality in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, the optimal method for setting PEEP is yet to be defined. It has been shown that respiratory system reactance (Xrs), measured by the forced oscillation technique (FOT) at 5 Hz, may be used to identify the minimal PEEP level required to maintain lung recruitment. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if using Xrs for setting PEEP would improve lung mechanics and reduce lung injury compared to an oxygenation-based approach. ⋯ In a lavage model of lung injury a PEEP optimization strategy based on maximizing Xrs attenuated the signs of ventilator induced lung injury. The respiratory system reactance measured by FOT could thus be an important component in a strategy for delivering protective ventilation to patients with ARDS/acute lung injury.