Crit Care Resusc
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Observational Study
Hospital outcomes associated with introduction of a two-tiered response to the deteriorating patient.
Liverpool Hospital introduced the medical emergency team system in 1990 and it has recently been adopted at a national and international level. New South Wales, Australia, has introduced a standardised rapid response system in over 250 acutecare hospitals: the two-tiered (clinical review call [CRC] and rapid response call [RRC]) "between the flags" (BTF) program. ⋯ After introduction of the BTF program, there was a progressive increase in documented CRCs and an increase in RRCs. There was no decrease in cardiac arrests or hospital deaths. RRCs based on objective physiological criteria increased. More research is needed to evaluate two-tiered response systems.
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Large multicentre studies of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in critically ill patients may influence its bedside prescription and practical application. Despite this, many aspects of CRRT may not be informed by evidence but remain a product of clinician preference. Little was known about current CRRT practice in Australia and New Zealand and it is not known if the evidence from recent studies has been integrated into practice. ⋯ Our results provide insight into existing clinical management of CRRT. There is considerable variation in the prescription of CRRT in Australian and New Zealand ICUs.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A cluster-randomised trial of a multifaceted quality improvement intervention in Brazilian intensive care units (Checklist-ICU trial): statistical analysis plan.
The Checklist During Multidisciplinary Visits for Reduction of Mortality in Intensive Care Units (Checklist- ICU) trial is a pragmatic, two-arm, cluster-randomised trial involving 118 intensive care units in Brazil, with the primary objective of determining if a multifaceted qualityimprovement intervention with a daily checklist, definition of daily care goals during multidisciplinary daily rounds and clinician prompts can reduce inhospital mortality. ⋯ We report our SAP before closing our study database and starting analysis. We anticipate that this should prevent analysis bias and enhance the utility of results.
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Comparative Study
Agreement between radial and femoral arterial blood pressure measurements during orthotopic liver transplantation.
To study agreement between radial and femoral arterial pressure measurements in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx) surgery to determine whether arterial cannulation sites are interchangeable. ⋯ Radial artery SAP underestimates femoral artery measurements significantly but unpredictably. As femoral measurement is more likely to reflect central arterial pressure, radial SAP measurement is not reliable in adults undergoing OLTx.
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In the past 5 years, there has been a significant rise in the number of trained and fully qualified specialists in intensive care medicine. Recent concerns about saturation of specialist employment opportunities and the prospect of new Fellows unable to find appropriate employment after completion of training has brought intensive care workforce issues to the forefront. The board members of the College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM) and Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) held the Intensive Care Workforce Summit with presidents of other medical colleges, government officials and legal experts. ⋯ Recent changes to the selection process for new trainees have had a dramatic impact on the number of new trainees in 2014 but the enduring effect of this is yet to be determined. The group discussed potential growth areas for employment of intensive care consultants, including changes in employment patterns and also the impact of reduced numbers of trainees on unit staffing. CICM and ANZICS have agreed to continue to monitor and discuss the situation on a regular basis.