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 · Oct 2012
Point of care serum lactate levels as a prognostic marker of outcome in complex pediatric cardiac surgery patients: Can we utilize it?
Post-operative course after complex pediatric cardiac surgery is unpredictable. Although, change in arterial lactate levels has been used as a surrogate marker for many years, scientific evidence correlating the early perioperative lactate levels with outcome is still lacking. ⋯ Early point of care lactate can be a useful prognostic marker in post-cardiac surgery patients in adjunct with other parameters measured in PICU. This reiterates the importance of measuring lactates and timely recognition of at-risk patients, which on early intervention can help in reducing post-operative morbidity and mortality.
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Indian J Crit Care Med · Jul 2012
A low-cost reusable phantom for ultrasound-guided subclavian vein cannulation.
Guidelines support the use of ultrasound (US)-guided central venous cannulation in the intensive care unit. Traditional techniques based on anatomical landmarks are blind procedures and inexpert USG procedures may be hazardous. ⋯ Techniques to improve eye-hand skills with this phantom are described. This phantom is easy to make, inexpensive and easily renewable.
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Indian J Crit Care Med · Jul 2012
Patterns of poisoning and drug overdosage and their outcome among in-patients admitted to the emergency medicine department of a tertiary care hospital.
Poisoning and drug overdose (DO) are important health problems in developing countries. These emergencies are associated with high mortality and morbidity. Different factors affect the final outcome of patients. This study aims to review the pattern of poisoning and DO in an urban tertiary care hospital and also the determinants and final outcome of patients with poisoning and DO. ⋯ OP compounds were the most common among poisons, while sedatives were frequently consumed drugs. Young adults from urban areas were the common victims with suicidal intention. Regulations, educational awareness and poison information centers will help to reduce the growth of this public health problem.
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Indian J Crit Care Med · Apr 2012
Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy: Griggs guide wire dilating forceps technique versus ULTRA-perc single-stage dilator - A prospective randomized study.
Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) is a frequently performed surgical procedure on critically ill patients. This study was designed to compare its two methods: Griggs guide wire dilating forceps (GWDF) technique and the ULTRA-perc single-stage dilator technique ⋯ Both the techniques seem to be equally reliable for carrying out PDT at bedside in the ICU.
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Indian J Crit Care Med · Apr 2012
Norepinephrine supplemented with dobutamine or epinephrine for the cardiovascular support of patients with septic shock.
Sepsis management remains a great challenge for intensive care medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of adding dobutamine versus epinephrine to norepinephrine in treating septic shock patients refractory to fluid therapy. ⋯ The addition of epinephrine to norepinephrine has positive effects on the cardiovascular parameters but negative results on the serum lactate concentration and systemic pH compared with the addition of dobutamine to norepinephrine.