Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Premature circuit clotting is a problem during continuous renal replacement therapy. We describe an algorithm for individualised anticoagulation with unfractionated heparin based on the patient's risk of bleeding and previous circuit life. The algorithm allows effective and safe nurse-led anticoagulation during continuous renal replacement therapy.
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Survivors of critical illnesses are at increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression. In the present issue of Critical Care, Myhren and colleagues report on an investigation of predictors of posttraumatic stress, general anxiety, and depressive symptoms up to 1 year following intensive care unit admission for critical illnesses. The present study found that an endogenous patient characteristic, the personality trait pessimism, was associated with posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms. Myhren and colleagues' study sheds light on potential predictors of psychopathology in critical illness survivors as well as stimulating directions for future research to address these complex problems.
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Although regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) have a pivotal role in preventing autoimmune diseases and limiting chronic inflammatory conditions, they may also block beneficial immune responses by preventing sterilizing immunity to certain pathogens. ⋯ These data argue against a determinant role of Tregs in inflammatory response and outcome during shock states.