Annals of intensive care
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Annals of intensive care · Dec 2016
External validation of the APPS, a new and simple outcome prediction score in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome.
A recently developed prediction score based on age, arterial oxygen partial pressure to fractional inspired oxygen ratio (PaO2/FiO2) and plateau pressure (abbreviated as 'APPS') was shown to accurately predict mortality in patients diagnosed with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). After thorough temporal external validation of the APPS, we tested the spatial external validity in a cohort of ARDS patients recruited during 3 years in two hospitals in the Netherlands. ⋯ The predictive accuracy for all-cause hospital mortality of the APPS was moderate, also after recalibration of the score, and thus the APPS does not seem to be fitted for that purpose. The APPS might serve as simple tool for stratification of mortality in patients with moderate or severe ARDS. Without recalibrations, the performance of the APPS was moderate and we should therefore hesitate to blindly apply the score to other cohorts of ARDS patients.
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Annals of intensive care · Dec 2016
Associations between positive end-expiratory pressure and outcome of patients without ARDS at onset of ventilation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
The aim of this investigation was to compare ventilation at different levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) with regard to clinical important outcomes of intensive care unit (ICU) patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) at onset of ventilation. ⋯ Ventilation with higher levels of PEEP in ICU patients without ARDS at onset of ventilation was not associated with lower in-hospital mortality or shorter duration of ventilation, but with a lower incidence of ARDS and hypoxemia, as well as higher PaO2/FiO2. These findings should be interpreted with caution, as heterogeneity was moderate to high, the QoE was low to very low, and the available studies prevented us from addressing the effects of moderate levels of PEEP.
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Annals of intensive care · Dec 2016
Association between total antioxidant capacity and mortality in ischemic stroke patients.
Data on circulating total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels in ischemic stroke patients compared with healthy controls are limited and provided conflicting findings. There are not data about the association between circulating TAC levels, peroxidation state and outcome in patients with severe ischemic stroke. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship of TAC with 30-day mortality after severe ischemic stroke. ⋯ This single-center study in severe MMCAI patients found an association between higher serum TAC levels and 30-day mortality and further identified a relationship between serum TAC levels, lipid peroxidation state and mortality after severe ischemic stroke.
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Delirium is a frequently occurring syndrome in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) or medium care unit (MCU), yet the pathophysiology remains poorly understood. An excess of central serotonin can lead to an altered mental status, associated with autonomic hyperactivity, and neuromuscular excitation. Drugs with serotonergic properties are frequently and for prolonged periods administered to ICU/MCU patients. Therefore, central serotonergic toxicity may constitute a predisposing, contributing or precipitating factor in the emergence of delirium. The purpose of the present study is to determine the number of patients admitted to the ICU or MCU who are diagnosed with delirium and who show characteristics of serotonin toxicity in association with the administration of serotonergic drugs. ⋯ A significant proportion of delirious patients in the ICU might in fact be classified as suffering from central serotonin toxicity. The awareness of potential serotonin toxicity is low among physicians.
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Annals of intensive care · Dec 2016
Low cardiac index and stroke volume on admission are associated with poor outcome in critically ill burn patients: a retrospective cohort study.
Impact of early systemic hemodynamic alterations and fluid resuscitation on outcome in the modern burn care remains controversial. We investigate the association between acute-phase systemic hemodynamics, timing of fluid resuscitation and outcome in critically ill burn patients. ⋯ Low initial SV and CI were associated with poor outcome in critically ill burn patients. Very early hemodynamic monitoring may in help detecting under-resuscitated patients. Future prospective interventional studies should explore the impact of early goal-directed therapy in these specific patients.