Crit Care Resusc
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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.
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To develop a library of delirium-suggestive words. ⋯ A comprehensive repertoire of delirium-suggestive words was validated using a multidisciplinary survey and new words suggested by respondents were added. The use of natural language processing algorithms may allow for earlier detection of delirium using our delirium library and be deployed for real-time decision making and clinical care.
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Patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) undergo multiple blood tests. Small volume vacuum phlebotomy tubes (SVTs) provide an important blood conservation measure. SVTs reduce summative blood loss and may reduce odds of transfusion. We aimed to determine whether low volume blood sampling using SVTs for routine diagnostic purposes translates to decreased fall in haemoglobin concentration, and examine downstream effects on anaemia and need for transfusion during ICU admission. ⋯ SVTs reduce sampling volume without increasing laboratory error. Follow-on effects include reduced fall in haemoglobin concentration and severe anaemia. These correlations are absent in long admissions.