Crit Care Resusc
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Bolus dose concentrations of hydrocortisone (50mg/mL) are reported to be incompatible with midazolam and ciprofloxacin in Y-site mixing studies. We evaluated the physical and chemical compatibility of low concentrations of hydrocortisone sodium succinate (1 mg/ mL) with midazolam (1 mg/mL and 2mg/mL) and ciprofloxacin (2 mg/mL) solutions during a simulated Y-site administration study. ⋯ According to currently recommended criteria, combining hydrocortisone sodium succinate at a concentration of 1mg/mL with a 1mg/mL solution of midazolam appears to be both chemically and physically compatible. However, mixing 1mg/mL hydrocortisone sodium succinate with 2mg/mL midazolam or with 2mg/ mL ciprofloxacin cannot be recommended.
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A systematic review to examine the safety and efficacy of ultrasound before and/or during percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT). ⋯ There are currently no randomised controlled trials to establish the safety or efficacy of preprocedural and/or real-time intraprocedural ultrasound guidance during PDT compared with the current standard of care. One study supports the use of real-time ultrasound guidance during PDT in preventing cranial tracheostomy tube misplacement. Observational data suggest that preprocedural ultrasound may help prevent vascular complications and that real-time ultrasound guidance during PDT is likely safe, with a high success rate. A prospective randomised controlled trial evaluating its safety and efficacy compared with the traditional landmarkguided technique is required to establish its role in clinical practice.
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Patients who recover from critical illness may be left with significant limitations to their physical function that can have important consequences for their quality of life. Measures of physical function may be useful end points to consider in studies conducted in critically ill patients and are particularly attractive in studies investigating early mobilisation and rehabilitation. ⋯ A wide range of end points have been used to evaluate physical function in critically ill patients. However, further studies are needed to establish the measurement properties of the most commonly used end points in order to recommend their use in clinical trials.