Articles: adult.
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Rev Bras Ter Intensiva · Dec 2010
Corticosteroids therapy in pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome.
The use of corticosteroids in acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome is one of the most controversial issues in the literature. However, acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome studies are restricted to adults, despite the widespread use of corticosteroid for hyper-reactive respiratory airway diseases in children. This review aimed to describe experimental and clinical evidence for corticosteroid therapy in acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome and to point out the risks and benefits of its use in pediatrics. ⋯ Based on the literature, the authors suggest early and prolonged methylprednisolone administration for acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome, using continuous 1 mg/kg/day infusion to prevent glycemic variability, associated with strict infection surveillance. In addition, they recommend some diagnostic parameters, interventions and choices of endpoint variables to be adjusted to improve pediatric trials feasibility. Therefore, more research is required to establish the safety and efficacy of methylprednisolone in pediatric patients with acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome , as well as to determine the best parameters for monitoring steroid side effects and outcomes.
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The goal of this project was to improve unit-based safety culture through implementation of a multidisciplinary (pharmacy, nursing, medicine) teamwork and communication intervention. ⋯ While it is difficult to isolate the effects of the team training intervention from other events occurring during the year between training and postevaluation, overall the intervention seems to have improved the safety culture on these medical units.
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Adult Growth hormone Deficiency is a well known phenomenon effecting both males and females. Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency is marked by a number of neuropsychiatric, cognitive performance, cardiac, metabolic, muscular, and bone symptoms and clinical features. There is no known standardized acceptable therapeutic modality to treat this condition. A recent meta-analysis found that after 16 years of Growth Hormone replacement therapy a large proportion of the patients still had Growth Hormone associated symptoms especially related to executive functioning. A major goal is to increase plasma levels of both insulin-like growth factor (insulin-like growth factor-1) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3. ⋯ It appears that in some patients with Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency, insulin-like growth factor-1 elevation is resistant to direct Growth Hormone treatment. Furthermore, the binding protein may not rise with insulin-like growth factor-1. However, a combination of Growth Hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 treatment may be a solution.
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To assess the frequency of after-hours discharges of patients from the intensive care unit and its effect on in-hospital mortality. ⋯ A high proportion of patients (34.7%) were discharged from the ICU after-hours. Discharge after-hours was associated with a higher risk of in-hospital mortality than discharge during work hours.
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Unplanned admission to the intensive care unit has been shown to significantly increase the risk of inhospital mortality. Medical advances and increased expectations have resulted in a greater number of very elderly patients (80 years and over) being admitted to the ICU. The risk of in-hospital death associated with unplanned admission to the ICU in very elderly patients has not been clearly defined. ⋯ Unplanned admission to the ICU increases the risk of in-hospital mortality in very elderly patients. At least 50% of the risk of in-hospital death in this age group is attributable to a combination of unplanned ICU admission, comorbidity (≥1 comorbid condition), acute renal failure and respiratory failure.