Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Many critically ill patients develop hemostatic abnormalities, ranging from isolated thrombocytopenia or prolonged global clotting tests to complex defects, such as disseminated intravascular coagulation. There are many causes for a deranged coagulation in critically ill patients and each of these underlying disorders may require specific therapeutic or supportive management. In recent years, new insights into the pathogenesis and clinical management of many coagulation defects in critically ill patients have been accumulated and this knowledge is helpful in determining the optimal diagnostic and therapeutic strategy.
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Donation after circulatory death (DCD) can be performed on neurologically intact donors who do not fulfill neurologic or brain death criteria before circulatory arrest. This commentary focuses on the most controversial donor-related issues anticipated from mandatory implementation of DCD for imminent or cardiac death in hospitals across the USA. We conducted a nonstructured review of selected publications and websites for data extraction and synthesis. ⋯ Legislative abandonment of the dead donor rule to permit the recovery of transplantable organs is necessary in the absence of an adequate scientific foundation for DCD practice. The designation of organ procurement organizations or affiliates to obtain organ donation consent introduces self-serving bias and conflicts of interest that interfere with true informed consent. It is important that donors and their families are not denied a 'good death', and the impact of DCD on quality of end-of-life care has not been satisfactorily addressed to achieve this.
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Cognitive dysfunction is common in critically ill patients, not only during the acute illness but also long after its resolution. A large number of pathophysiologic mechanisms are thought to underlie critical illness-associated cognitive dysfunction, including neuro-transmitter abnormalities and occult diffuse brain injury. ⋯ Although recent therapeutic advances in this area are exciting, they are still too immature to influence patient care. Additional research is needed if we are to understand better the relative contributions of specific mechanisms to the development of critical illness-associated cognitive dysfunction and to determine whether these mechanisms might be amenable to treatment or prevention.
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Review Historical Article
Bench-to-bedside review: human subjects research--are more standards needed?
There are many controversial issues surrounding ethics in study design and conduct of human subjects research. In this review we briefly touch on the origin of ethics in clinical research and how the current regulations and standards came into practice. ⋯ We address this question by reviewing and commenting on relevant literature. We conclude that what is needed are not more standards per se, but rather refinement and uniformity of current standards, and their interpretation and application both to protect human subjects and to advance medicine.
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Comparative Study
Peripheral arterial blood pressure monitoring adequately tracks central arterial blood pressure in critically ill patients: an observational study.
Invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring is a common practice in intensive care units (ICUs). Accuracy of invasive blood pressure monitoring is crucial in evaluating the cardiocirculatory system and adjusting drug therapy for hemodynamic support. However, the best site for catheter insertion is controversial. Lack of definitive information in critically ill patients makes it difficult to establish guidelines for daily practice in intensive care. We hypothesize that peripheral and central mean arterial blood pressures are interchangeable in critically ill patients. ⋯ Measurement of mean arterial blood pressure in radial or femoral arteries is clinically interchangeable. It is not mandatory to cannulate the femoral artery, even in critically ill patients receiving high doses of vasoactive drugs.