Minerva anestesiologica
-
Minerva anestesiologica · Dec 2012
Performance of SAPS II and SAPS III scores in post-cardiac arrest.
Cardiac arrest is a major public health issue affecting an estimated 300,000 patients in the United States each year. The American Heart Association has recommended the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II and III (SAPS) to assess severity of illness and to predict outcomes in the post-cardiac arrest population. Our objective was to determine if SAPS II and SAPS III scores predict outcomes in post-cardiac arrest patients. ⋯ SAPS II and SAPS III scores have only moderate discrimination and are not clinically relevant tools to predict outcome in post-cardiac arrest patients. Further study is needed to identify a more reliable severity of illness score in the post-arrest population.
-
The aim of this paper was to study long-term survival in patients treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and who survived to hospital discharge. ⋯ Patients who survive ICU treatment have a high risk of dying during the next year. This risk is almost as great the risk of dying during ICU and hospital treatment and increases with age and illness severity on admission to the ICU.
-
Minerva anestesiologica · Dec 2012
Practice of analgesia and sedation in Italian Paediatric Intensive Care Units: did we progress?
No strong recommendation was reported in management analgesia and sedation of critically ill children. The present study was performed to describe the current practice of analgesia and sedation in Pediatric Italian Intensive Care Units, in order to evaluate the adherence to last published pediatric guidelines. ⋯ National pediatric intensivists identified the same drug strategy to obtain analgesia and sedation in their patients, according to last published guidelines. Assessment of analgesia and sedation was more diffuse but not regularly performed and different methods were used. Withdrawal syndrome was monitored in a minority of contacted centres. Considering our data the practice of analgesia and sedation in Italian Pediatric Intensive Care Units is improved but not yet completely adherent to last international recommendations.
-
Minerva anestesiologica · Dec 2012
Coagulation assessment in normal pregnancy: thrombelastography with citrated non activated samples.
Thrombelastography (TEG) provides an effective and convenient means of whole blood coagulation monitoring. TEG evaluates the elastic properties of whole blood and provides a global assessment of hemostatic function. Previous studies performed TEG on native blood sample, but no data are available with citrated samples in healthy pregnant women at term. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pregnancy on coagulation assessed by TEG and establish normal ranges of TEG values in pregnant women at term comparing them with healthy non pregnant young women. ⋯ The main findings of this study confirm the hypercoagulability status of pregnant women at term. This coagulation pattern is well represented by thrombelastographic trace obtained by recalcified citrate blood sample.