Indian journal of critical care medicine : peer-reviewed, official publication of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine
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Indian J Crit Care Med · Nov 2015
ReviewFramework for decision-making and management of end-of-life decisions in Intensive Care Units: A modified protocol.
End-of-life decisions are being made daily in Intensive Care Units worldwide. The spectrum of options varies from full-continued care, withholding treatment, withdrawing treatment, and active life-ending procedures depending on the institutional practices and legal framework. ⋯ It does make sense to have a protocol that ensures proper documentation and helps ease the physicians involved in such decisions. Clear documentation in the format of a checklist would ensure consistency and help the entire medical team to be uniformly informed about the end-of-life plan.
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Indian J Crit Care Med · Nov 2015
Critical illness associated with 2013-2014 influenza A (H1N1): Postpandemic characteristics, presentation and outcomes.
The United States experienced a postpandemic outbreak of H1N1 influenza in 2013-2014. Unlike the pandemic in 2009 clinical course and outcomes associated with critical illness in this postpandemic outbreak has been only sparsely described. ⋯ Compared to the 2009-2010 pandemic, the 2013-2014 H1N1 strain affected older patients with more underlying co-morbid cardio-pulmonary diseases. The patients had worse oxygenation indices and rescue modalities such as prone ventilation, inhaled epoprostenol and ECMO, were used more consistently as compared to the 2009 pandemic.
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Indian J Crit Care Med · Nov 2015
Case ReportsSevere respiratory failure following ventriculopleural shunt.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion procedure has been used for long to treat hydrocephalus in children. The principle of shunting is to establish a communication between the CSF and a drainage cavity (peritoneum, right atrium, and pleura). ⋯ We report a case of a 6-year-old female child presenting with massive CSF hydrothorax with respiratory failure following VPLS. The aim of the article is to highlight early recognition of this rare and life-threatening condition, which could easily be missed if proper history is not available.