Respiratory care
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Assessment of a patient's readiness for removal of the endotracheal tube in the ICU is based on respiratory, airway, and neurological measures. However, nearly 20% of patients require reintubation. We created a prediction model for the need for reintubation, which incorporates variables importantly contributing to extubation failure. ⋯ A small number of independent variables explains a substantial portion of the variability of extubation failure, and can help identify patients at high risk of needing reintubation. These characteristics should be incorporated in the decision-making process of ICU extubation.
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Review Case Reports
Non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema and life-threatening shock due to calcium channel blocker overdose and its management: a case report and a clinical review.
Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) overdose can be life-threatening when manifest as catastrophic shock and non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema. We describe a case of massive overdose of multiple medications, including sustained-release verapamil, which was resistant to conventional support. Initial treatment for CCB overdose is primarily supportive, and includes fluid resuscitation. ⋯ There is evidence that hyperinsulinemia-euglycemia therapy is superior to other therapies for CCB poisoning, and the mechanism is thought to be the insulin-mediated active transport of glucose into the cells, which counters the CCB-induced intra-cellular carbohydrate-deficient state. Conventional decontamination measures are ineffective in accelerating clearance of CCB. Experience with intravenous lipid emulsion for lipophilic drug overdose, such as verapamil, is limited, but has been proposed as a rescue therapy and might improve cardiac inotropy through intravascular sequestration of the lipophilic CCB.