Best practice & research. Clinical anaesthesiology
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Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2012
ReviewCharacteristics of fluids used for intravascular volume replacement.
In this review, the relative merits of the different fluid solutions used for fluid replacement will be discussed. Differences in chemical composition may have important implications on volume expansion capacities but also on organ function. Among crystalloids, differences in electrolyte composition, and in particular chloride load, alter acid base status but may also affect other aspects of organ function. ⋯ When colloids are indicated, albumin should be preferred as it is the only one that has been proved to be safe in a large randomized trial. Cumulative evidence suggests that starches, even of the new generations, are associated with development of acute kidney injury. Hypertonic solutions may represent an interesting option in some groups of patients but more research is needed in this field.
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Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Sep 2012
ReviewEpidemiology and risk factors for delirium across hospital settings.
Delirium is one of the most common causes of acute end-organ dysfunction across hospital settings, occurring in as high as 80% of critically ill patients that require intensive care unit (ICU) care. The implications of this acute form of brain injury are profound. Across many hospital settings (emergency department, general medical ward, postoperative and ICU), a patient who experiences delirium is more likely to experience increased short- and long-term mortality, decreases in long-term cognitive function, increases in hospital length of stay and increased complications of hospital care. ⋯ Among the large number of risk factors discovered, administration of potent sedative medications, most notably benzodiazepines, is most consistently and strongly associated with an increased burden of delirium. Alternatively, in both the hospital and ICU, delirium can be prevented with the application of protocols that include early mobility/exercise. Future studies must work to understand the epidemiology across settings and focus upon modifiable risk factors that can be integrated into existing delirium prevention and treatment protocols.
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Delirium, defined as an acute fluctuating change in mental state, with consciousness and cognitive impairment, has been found to have a high incidence in hospitalised patients, as well as being associated with increased morbidity and mortality, prolonged stays in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in hospital and higher costs. However, delirium is not easy to detect, since its diagnosis is mainly clinical. Yet the importance of early diagnosis and possible prevention in the different clinical scenarios is clear, to improve patient prognosis. This review provides a practical approach to delirium management through: (a) its classification and diagnosis utilising validated tools and (b) the use of non-pharmacological protocols and of an early prediction model to identify high-risk patients, who are more likely to benefit from pharmacological prophylaxis.
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Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Sep 2012
ReviewPharmacologic prevention and treatment of delirium in critically ill and non-critically ill hospitalised patients: a review of data from prospective, randomised studies.
Delirium occurs commonly in acutely ill hospitalised patients, particularly in the elderly or in cardiac or orthopaedic surgery patients, or those in intensive care units (ICUs). Delirium worsens outcome. Pharmaceutical agents such as antipsychotics and, in the critically ill, dexmedetomidine, are considered therapeutic despite uncertainty regarding their efficacy and safety. ⋯ The number of prospective RCTs remains limited. Any conclusions about pharmacologic efficacy are limited by the small size of many studies, the inconsistency by which non-pharmacologic delirium prevention strategies were incorporated, the lack of a true placebo arm and a failure to incorporate ICU and non-ICU clinical outcomes. A research framework for future evaluation of the use of medications in both ICU and non-ICU is proposed.