Revista Brasileira de terapia intensiva
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Rev Bras Ter Intensiva · Jun 2010
Mild therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest: mechanism of action and protocol development.
Cardiac arrest is a high mortality event and the associated brain ischemia frequently causes severe neurological damage and persistent vegetative state. Therapeutic hypothermia is an important tool for the treatment of post-anoxic coma after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. ⋯ Nevertheless, hypothermia is underused in critical care units. This manuscript aims to review the hypothermia mechanism of action in cardiac arrest survivors and to propose a simple protocol, feasible to be implemented in any critical care unit.
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Rev Bras Ter Intensiva · Jun 2010
Prolonged gastrointestinal dysfunction in critically ill patients.
We aimed to investigate the prevalence and independent predictors of prolonged gastrointestinal dysfunction in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit. ⋯ Prolonged gastrointestinal dysfunction was highly prevalent in this heterogeneous population of critically ill patients. Admission high serum lactate levels and a low oxygenation index were predictive of prolonged gastrointestinal dysfunction.
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Rev Bras Ter Intensiva · Jun 2010
Cardiorespiratory arrest diagnosis and treatment: theoretical knowledge evaluation in a general hospital's physicians.
The main causes of cardiopulmonary arrest are endemic, and require constant medical improvement on cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques. Training and continued education are essential to skilled management of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. ⋯ The physicians' theoretical knowledge on this field is worrisome. The results point to the importance of professional advanced life support training in order to assure quality standards for cardiac arrest management in this general hospital.