Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Nov 2012
ReviewNew membranes for extracorporeal blood purification in septic conditions.
Severe sepsis and septic shock are still the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the intensive care unit. The inflammatory response to infection is associated with an impressive, systemic release of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators, which results in generalized endothelial damage, multiple organ failure and altered cellular immunological responsiveness. ⋯ However, the use of extracorporeal blood purification techniques during sepsis still remains controversial, thus precluding any definitive recommendations on the benefit of these methods. More data are needed to better recognize septic patients who are most likely to benefit from blood purification treatments, and clarify the optimal timing, duration, and number of applications of these techniques in the daily clinical practice.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Nov 2012
Plasma renin concentration as a predictor of outcome in a medical intensive care setting: a retrospective pilot study.
Renin and aldosterone are involved in an organ perfusion pathway that may be an estimate of disease severity. The primary objective was to explore the relationship between outcome and aldosterone and renin levels at medical intensive care unit (MICU) admissions in comparison to SAPS II scores. ⋯ Renin was correlated to outcome in critically ill medical patients.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Nov 2012
Do established prognostic factors explain the different mortality rates in ICU septic patients around the world?
The aim of this paper was to clarify if previously established prognostic factors explain the different mortality rates observed in ICU septic patients around the world. ⋯ Severe sepsis mortality varies widely in different countries. All known markers of disease severity and prognosis do not fully explain the international differences in mortality. Country income does not explain this disparity either. Further studies should be developed to verify if other organizational or structural factors account for disparities in patient care and outcomes.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Nov 2012
Admission decisions to a medical intensive care unit are based on functional status rather than severity of illness. A single center experience.
Few data exist on Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) triage practices. We assessed MICU triage practices in our medical center. ⋯ MICU admission decisions are implicitly based on patients' baseline functional status rather than severity of illness.