Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jul 2013
Effects of short sustained lung inflations on cerebral blood flow and cerebral tissue oxygenation in the juvenile rabbit.
Sustained lung inflations improve oxygenation but may impair hemodynamics. This study aimed to determine effects of short sustained inflations on cerebral blood flow and cerebral tissue oxygenation in experimental lung injury. ⋯ A series of short sustained lung inflations of 15 seconds duration can impair cerebral blood flow but increase arterial oxygen saturation in this juvenile animal model. The combination of these effects resulted in either a decrease or increase in regional cerebral tissue oxygenation.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jul 2013
Efficacy of endotoxin adsorption therapy (polymyxin B hemoperfusion) for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus toxic shock syndrome: a case report about five patients.
Toxic shock syndrome (TSS), which can be life-threatening, is clinically and pathologically characterized by the presence of high fever, skin rash, desquamation, hypotension, and multiple organ failure caused by an enterotoxin produced by Staphylococcus aureus. In this study, we evaluated the effects of endotoxin adsorption therapy (polymyxin B [PMX] hemoperfusion) in critical patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus TSS (MRSA-TSS) who showed no improvement with the conventional therapy. ⋯ Our results showed that PMX hemoperfusion significantly improved the hemodynamics and severity in patients with life-threatening MRSA-TSS.
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Alteration of muscle mass and function is often observed in critically ill patients and its etiology is multifactorial. Besides the effects of acute disease on muscle metabolism, intensive care stay may per se contribute to muscle derangements. Recently, the concept of sarcopenia has been completely revisited, and indicates the loss of muscle mass and function. ⋯ Additionally, sarcopenia may promote functional disability in the long-term after hospital discharge. Limited data are available on the prevalence of sarcopenia at ICU admission. Considering the growing population of older adults with multiple comorbidities, modern intensive care medicine should pay attention to the prevention of ICU-related sarcopenia and also to the routine screening for sarcopenia at ICU admission.