Crit Care Resusc
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Meta Analysis
Therapeutic hypothermia and mortality in the intensive care unit: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is defined as the designed reduction of the human body's core temperature to 32°C-35°C for a period of 24-48 hours. TH has been studied extensively in many diseases related to critical care illness. This meta-analysis assesses the effect of TH on mortality across different indications in medical, neurological and cardiothoracic care. ⋯ This meta-analysis suggests that after decades of extensive research, TH has yet to show a beneficial effect on mortality across different critical care diseases.
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Mechanical ventilation is mandatory in patients undergoing general anaesthesia for major surgery. Tidal volumes higher than 10 mL/kg of predicted body weight have been advocated for intraoperative ventilation, but recent evidence suggests that low tidal volumes may benefit surgical patients. To date, the impact of low tidal volume compared with conventional tidal volume during surgery has only been assessed in clinical trials that also combine different levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) in each arm. We aimed to assess the impact of low tidal volume compared with conventional tidal volume during general anaesthesia for surgery on the incidence of postoperative respiratory complications in adult patients receiving moderate levels of PEEP. ⋯ This is the first well powered study comparing the effect of low tidal volume ventilation versus high tidal volume ventilation during surgery on the incidence of postoperative respiratory complications in adult patients receiving moderate levels of PEEP.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A pilot randomised controlled trial evaluating the pharmacodynamic effects of furosemide versus acetazolamide in critically ill patients.
To compare the physiological and biochemical effects of a single intravenous dose of furosemide or acetazolamide in critically ill patients. ⋯ Furosemide is a more potent diuretic and chloriuretic agent than acetazolamide in critically ill patients, and achieves a threefold greater negative fluid balance. Compared with acetazolamide, furosemide acidifies urine and alkalinises plasma. Our findings imply that combination therapy might be a more physiological approach to diuresis in critically ill patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Pharmacokinetic data support 6-hourly dosing of intravenous vitamin C to critically ill patients with septic shock.
To study vitamin C pharmacokinetics in septic shock. ⋯ Intravenous vitamin C (1.5 g every 6 hours) corrects vitamin C deficiency and hypovitaminosis C and provides an appropriate dosing schedule to achieve and maintain normal or elevated vitamin C levels in septic shock.
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Clinically apparent cerebral oedema during diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is rare and more common in children and young adults. Subclinical oedema with mild brain dysfunction is more frequent, with unknown long term effects. Rapid tonicity changes may be a factor although not well studied. Guidelines recommend capping hypertonicity resolution at ≤ 3 mOsmol/kg/h. ⋯ Major tonicity reductions often exceeding guidelines were common by ICU admission. Correcting DKA-induced hypertonicity at ≤ 3 mOsmol/kg/h requires controlled hyperglycaemia correction and, based on our data, avoidance of high fluid replacement rates; for example, sufficient to reduce haemoglobin concentrations by > 3 g/L/h, unless there is evidence of intravascular hypovolaemia.