Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Oct 2014
Observational StudyIncidence of anaerobic bacteria in patients with suspected pneumonia in surgical intensive care unit.
Few studies have investigated the incidence of pulmonary anaerobes in a specific population in surgical Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The objective of this work was to determine the incidence of anaerobes in surgical ICU patients with suspected pneumonia. ⋯ Our study demonstrates the presence of anaerobic bacteria in the lung samples of patients from surgical ICU with an incidence comparable to that found in populations from medical ICU departments. Anaerobic morbidity in our study is in line with recent literature.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Oct 2014
Review Meta AnalysisA systematic review of antifibrinolytics and massive injury.
Every year, more than a million people die as a result of trauma. This huge mortality could be partially explained by the development of an acute traumatic coagulopathy, present in a large part of all major trauma patients, soon after injury, which contributes to ongoing hemorrhage. The coagulopathy induced by trauma is independently associated with mortality, increased transfusion requirements, multiple organ dysfunction, infections, increased intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, and costs. ⋯ This study aims at determining the safety and efficacy of TXA administration in this particular setting. Our experience from the cardiac surgery setting highlighted a dose-dependent increased seizure incidence associated with the administration of TXA. For this reason, further studies are needed to better define the "optimal" dose scheme based on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Oct 2014
ReviewAminoglycosides for life-threatening infections: a plea for an individualized approach using intensive therapeutic drug monitoring.
Aminoglycosides are potent antibiotics with a renewed interest due to the increase in multidrug resistant infections. Their use in life-threatening infections ‑ in combination with other antibiotics ‑ has been debated due to the lack of clear outcome benefits. ⋯ Toxicity on the other hand remains a concern, with nephrotoxicity as the most relevant negative effect in the critically ill. Short term, intensively monitored treatment strategies - with monitoring both peak and trough levels - may increase efficacy as well as reduce toxicity in the critically ill patient.