Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jul 2017
Multicenter StudyCurrent adoption of lung ultrasound in Intensive Care Units: an Italian multi-centre survey.
Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a useful tool for assessing lung status in critically ill patients, but is not widely applied in intensive care units (ICUs). The aim of this study was to investigate the use of LUS in Italian ICUs. ⋯ LUS is performed in the majority of ICUs and is generally used to investigate known or suspected diseases. Frequency of use appears to be low and related to selected organizational factors. There is generally no standardized format for reporting LUS findings.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jul 2017
ReviewHalogenated volatile anesthetics in the intensive care unit: current knowledge on an upcoming practice.
The aim of this narrative review was to highlight key points of volatile anesthetics administration in the intensive care unit (ICU), including AnaConDa® and Mirus® devices characteristics and the reported findings on clinical outcomes in critically ill patients. Intravenous sedation in the ICU is associated with issues, such as over- and under-sedation. Halogenated compounds, which can be safely administered by inserting a device in any ICU ventilation circuit, have interesting pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profiles for patients with multi-organ failure. ⋯ Apart from sedation, volatile anesthetics were therapeutic in case reports of status asthmaticus and epilepticus and data are cumulating for benefits in cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome. According to current literature, they should be withheld in cerebral injury. To summarize, the use of volatile anesthetics for sedation is yet only approved by German guidelines, but could spread due to its potential benefits.