Journal of clinical medicine research
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Inhaled bronchodilators are the mainstay of pharmacological treatment for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including β2-agonists and muscarinic antagonists. Tiotropium bromide, a long-acting antimuscarinic bronchodilator (LAMA), is a treatment choice for moderate-to-severe COPD; its efficacy and safety have been demonstrated in recent trials. ⋯ Combination of different bronchodilator molecules and addition of inhaled corticosteroids are viable therapeutic alternatives. A condensation of the latest trials and the rationale behind these therapies will be presented in this article.
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Various clinical trials have assessed how intraoperative anesthetics can affect early recovery, hemodynamics and nociception after supratentorial craniotomy. Whether or not the difference in recovery pattern differs in a meaningful way with anesthetic choice is controversial. This review examines and compares different anesthetics with respect to wake-up time, hemodynamics, respiration, cognitive recovery, pain, nausea and vomiting, and shivering. ⋯ Administration of local anesthetics into the skin, and addition of corticosteroids, NSAIDs, COX-2 inhibitors, and PCA therapy postoperatively provided superior analgesia. It is also important to emphasize the possibility of long-term effects of anesthetics on cognitive function. More research is warranted to develop best practices strategies for the future that are evidence-based.
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Severe sepsis and septic shock are leading causes of morbidity and mortality among critically ill patients, thus the identification of prognostic factors is crucial to determine their outcome. In this study, we explored the value of procalcitonin (PCT) variation in predicting 30-day mortality in patients with sepsis admitted to an intermediate care unit. ⋯ Evaluation of PCT kinetics over the first 72 hours is a useful tool for predicting 30-day mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock admitted to an intermediate care unit.
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Weaning from mechanical ventilation is defined as the process of release of ventilatory support and how the evaluation of this phase is conducted in the spontaneous breathing trial (SBT). One of the most used modes of SBT is the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which applies a continuous positive pressure in both inspiration and expiration. However, together with the mechanical ventilation modes, the automatic tube compensation (ATC) can be used, which compensates the resistance imposed by the endotracheal tube. The objective of this study was to compare oxygen consumption (VO2) and energy expenditure (EE) during SBT conducted with and without ATC. ⋯ We concluded that VO2 and EE obtained during SBT with and without ATC were not different.
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Hyponatremia is a very commonly encountered clinical entity with potentially dangerous effects and for which many precipitating factors have been identified. We present a case of valproic acid (VPA) overdose causing profound hyponatremia, with one of the lowest serum sodium levels ever documented in literature. A 54-year-old woman with hypothyroidism, hypertension and bipolar disorder presented with somnolence after intentionally ingesting 7,500 mg VPA. ⋯ Review of records in this patient from 1 year prior revealed that her last measured sodium level was 127 mEq/L. It is therefore most likely that our case is one of acute on chronic hyponatremia provoked by VPA overdose in the setting of chronic VPA use. Whilst our patient's course was relatively benign, this case illustrates a rare consequence of VPA toxicity, which if unnoticed in another patient may be tragic.