Crit Care Resusc
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Patients with haematological malignancies are at risk of concomitant critical neurological events warranting intensive care unit admission. We aimed to examine the characteristics and outcomes of this patient population, as more knowledge could facilitate decision making on ICU admission and treatment. ⋯ Patients with a history of haematological malignancy presenting with a critical neurological event have comparable survival rates with other patients with a haematologic malignancy admitted to the ICU. Our findings suggest that restrictions in ICU care are not justified for this patient population.
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Observational Study
Towards a national model for organ donation requests in Australia: evaluation of a pilot model.
To evaluate whether structural elements of a collaborative requesting model were observed in practice, and explore the impact of specialised communications training and elements of the model on consent rates. ⋯ Structural elements of the model were observed in most cases, indicating that the model is feasible and acceptable. We showed that the highest consent rates were achieved when FDCs were led by professionals who had completed the specialised communications training and were not part of the treating clinical team for that patient.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Characteristics and outcomes of patients reviewed by intensive care unit liaison nurses in Australia: a prospective multicentre study.
Intensive care unit liaison nurse (ICU LN) services are one strategy to manage deteriorating hospital patients. Studies on the characteristics and outcomes of patients reviewed by ICU LNs have been from single centres and surveys. ⋯ Most ICU LN reviews occur after ICU discharge or in association with an RRT review. The inhospital mortality of ICU LN-reviewed patients is high (about 10%). ICU LNs effectively screen patients and often participate in end-of-life care planning.
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Comparative Study
Sodium reduction during cardiopulmonary bypass: Plasma-Lyte 148 versus trial fluid as pump primes.
We compared effects on plasma sodium concentrations plus calculated plasma tonicity of two "balanced" crystalloid solutions used as 2 L pump primes during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB): Plasma-Lyte 148 (sodium concentration, 140 mmol/L; potassium concentration, 5 mmol/L) versus a bicarbonate-balanced fluid (sodium concentration, 140 mmol/L; potassium concentration, 0 mmol/L). ⋯ Sodium reductions were common with both priming solutions, but more severe with Plasma-Lyte 148. Crystalloid priming solutions require sodium concentrations>140mmol/L to ensure normonatraemia throughout CPB.