Crit Care Resusc
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Comparative Study
Bedside electronic capture of clinical observations and automated clinical alerts to improve compliance with an Early Warning Score protocol.
Failure to comply with clinical protocols and failure of communication to ensure delivery of the most appropriate timely clinical responses to patients whose conditions are acutely deteriorating have been shown to be significant causative factors associated with inhospital adverse events. ⋯ Electronic recording of patient observations linked to a computer system that calculates patient risk and then issues automatic graded alerts can improve clinical attendance to unstable general medical ward patients.
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Comparative Study
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for critically ill patients with influenza A (H1N1) 2009: a case series.
In this case series, we report on five patients with influenza A (H1N1) who received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment between July and December 2009 in the intensive care unit of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Western Australia. In considering these cases, we highlight the indications, risks and potential benefits associated with ECMO, whose role remains, as yet, largely undefined in the setting of H1N1 critical illness.
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To determine the extent to which physical function is restored 6 months after intensive care unit admission, and whether this is associated with short or long ICU length of stay (LOS). ⋯ Our study showed that patients who survive treatment for life-threatening illness in an Australian ICU for more than 48 hours and are subsequently able to communicate are likely to return to their premorbid functional level (as defined by FIM score) within 6 months.