Crit Care Resusc
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To improve the documentation of events surrounding medical emergency team (MET) calls and to audit the incidence of MET calls and subsequent patient outcomes. ⋯ Critical-care resource utilisation and inhospital mortality risk following a MET call at our institution is high. Three simple interventions improved the quality of medical documentation but did not significantly increase overall resource utilisation or improve patient outcomes.
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To gauge use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in Australian and New Zealand intensive care units, to investigate attitudes to and experience with ECMO, and to assess interest in contributing to a national database of ECMO use. ⋯ ECMO use in Australian and New Zealand ICUs is limited, but there is support for its use among survey respondents. Lack of training and experience with ECMO may be restricting its use.
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Development and validation of a critical care outcome prediction equation (COPE) using data that are collected routinely for administrative purposes. ⋯ The COPE model is a simple, robust, riskadjusted outcome prediction tool based on five fields from data that are routinely collected for administrative purposes.
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The Fencl-Stewart approach to acid-base physiology allows detailed, quantitative insights into acid-base disorders. We tested the hypothesis that this type of analysis would reveal complex acid-base changes in patients after liver transplantation that differed from those in a general intensive care unit population. ⋯ The Fencl-Stewart approach allowed us to quantitatively assess the factors contributing to patients' acid-base status. We found complex acid-base changes in patients immediately after liver transplantation.