Crit Care Resusc
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
A brief review of recent trends in Victorian intensive care, 2000-2011.
Review of resource use and patient outcomes of intensive care unit services over time provides insights into service delivery and safety. ⋯ There was an increase in ICU resource availability and evidence of improvement in hospital survival, suggesting improved quality of care. These evaluation methods may be useful in monitoring statewide capacity, service delivery and patient safety.
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Comparative Study
Continuous intra-arterial blood glucose monitoring using quenched fluorescence sensing: a product development study.
Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has the potential to improve the management of blood glucose (BG) and so improve patient safety and outcomes in intensive care units. The GluCath Intravascular CGM (IV-CGM) System (GluMetrics) uses a novel quenched chemical fluorescence sensing mechanism to measure BG. ⋯ In this product development study, use of the GluCath system for 24 hours after cardiac surgery had no adverse effect on haemodynamic monitoring, arterial blood sampling or clinical care. Overall accuracy was acceptable in the context of the first phase of a product development study.
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We present a 16-year-old male with severe acute respiratory and renal failure as a result of Goodpasture syndrome, requiring venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) for pulmonary haemorrhage. The patient received no systemic anticoagulation for 25 of 26 ECMO days (20 days consecutively) and suffered no coagulation-related adverse events. The patient had a subtherapeutic anticoagulation profile according to recommended ECMO guidelines during most of this time. The patient made a full recovery without respiratory compromise, ECMO circuit failure, thrombotic events or the need for ongoing haemodialysis.
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To evaluate the use of high-fidelity simulation for summative high-stakes assessment of intensive care trainees, focusing on non-technical skills (NTS), testing feasibility and acceptability of simulation assessment, and the reliability of two NTS rating scales. ⋯ Summative high-stakes assessment using a single simulated scenario was feasible and acceptable to senior intensive care trainees. The low inter-rater reliability for the ANTS and Ottawa GRS rating scales and for pass or fail discrimination may limit its incorporation into an existing examination format.