Polski merkuriusz lekarski : organ Polskiego Towarzystwa Lekarskiego
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Pol. Merkur. Lekarski · Dec 2015
Case ReportsAcute clenbuterol overdose manifestations in a suicide attempt--a case report.
A 30-year-old man was admitted to the intensive care unit after a suicide attempt with respiratory difficulties, tremor, sinus tachycardia and significant hypokalemia. On examination, the patient was lucid, fully conscious and did not exhibit positive symptoms. ⋯ Due to its anabolic and lipolytic properties, clenbuterol has become a commonly abused drug in bodybuilding industry and is not routinely detected by toxicology screens. This is the first known report of suicide attempt by clenbuterol overdosing.
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Pol. Merkur. Lekarski · Dec 2015
Review[New definition of ventilator associated pneumonia might not necessarily have been a step in the right direction. Key takeaways from published studies after two years in clinical use].
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections. VAP is associated with prolonged hospitalization and visibly increased mortality, which in the group of patients with VAP ranges from 25% to 47%. In January 2013 Centers of Disease Control and Prevention introduced a new definition for VAP. ⋯ The latest published studies suggest that most of the complications defined as VAE are patient-related, not modifiable risk factors and these patients had no evidence of hospital-acquired complications. The new definition failed to detect many patients with VAP and it has not resolved the ambiguities related to the diagnosis of this complication. It seems that the new surveillance program will not lead to introducing new prevention strategies that could decrease the mortality in intensive care unit patients.