Crit Care Resusc
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To determine the extent to which physical function is restored 6 months after intensive care unit admission, and whether this is associated with short or long ICU length of stay (LOS). ⋯ Our study showed that patients who survive treatment for life-threatening illness in an Australian ICU for more than 48 hours and are subsequently able to communicate are likely to return to their premorbid functional level (as defined by FIM score) within 6 months.
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Comparative Study
A pilot study of the epidemiology and associations of pulse pressure variation in cardiac surgery patients.
Pulse pressure variation (PPV) is an accepted measure of intravascular filling. It can now be estimated automatically. However, there is limited knowledge of the epidemiology and associations of such estimates in cardiac surgery patients. ⋯ In a tertiary ICU, among patients who had recently had cardiac surgery, automated PPV values in the likely FR range were present in over a third of measurements. Correlations with other haemodynamic and ventilation values were logical and expected.
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Comparative Study
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for critically ill patients with influenza A (H1N1) 2009: a case series.
In this case series, we report on five patients with influenza A (H1N1) who received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment between July and December 2009 in the intensive care unit of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Western Australia. In considering these cases, we highlight the indications, risks and potential benefits associated with ECMO, whose role remains, as yet, largely undefined in the setting of H1N1 critical illness.