Articles: intensive-care-units.
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To describe different strategies adopted during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic to cope with the shortage of mechanical ventilators. ⋯ The experience and evidence gained during the current pandemic is of paramount importance for physicians and law-makers to plan in advance an appropriate response to any future similar crisis. Intensive care unit, hospital, national and international policies can all be improved to build systems capable of treating an unexpectedly large number of patients, while keeping a high standard of safety.
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Critical care nurse · Dec 2022
ReviewA Step Forward for Intensive Care Unit Patients: Early Mobility Interventions and Associated Outcome Measures.
Critical illness survivors have impairments across physical, psychological, and cognitive health domains known as post-intensive care syndrome. Although physical activity can improve outcomes across all health domains, most intensive care unit early mobility studies focus solely on physical outcomes. ⋯ Early mobility is primarily addressed objectively and unidimensionally, limiting understanding of the implications of early mobility for patients. Post-intensive care syndrome prevention begins in the intensive care unit; early mobility is a promising intervention for targeting multiple risk factors. Studies that measure outcomes in all health domains during or after early mobility are needed to better evaluate the comprehensive effects of early mobility.
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J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. · Dec 2022
Multicenter StudyOutcomes of Prolonged ICU Stay for Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery in Australia and New Zealand.
To determine the effect of intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS) on hospital mortality and non-home discharge for patients undergoing cardiac surgery over a 16-year period in Australia and New Zealand. ⋯ Prolonged duration of ICU LOS after cardiac surgery is associated with increased hospital mortality in a U-shaped relationship. An ICU LOS >5 days should be considered a meaningful definition for prolonged ICU stay after cardiac surgery.
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Critical care nurse · Dec 2022
A Care Step Pathway for the Diagnosis and Treatment of COVID-19-Associated Invasive Fungal Infections in the Intensive Care Unit.
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a pandemic. Patients with severe cases resulting in hospitalization and mechanical ventilation are at risk for COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis, an invasive fungal infection, and should be screened for aspergillosis if they have persistent hemodynamic instability and fever. Early detection and treatment of this fungal infection can significantly reduce morbidity and mortality in this population. ⋯ The Care Step Pathway is an effective educational tool to help intensive care unit clinicians consider fungal infection when caring for COVID-19 patients receiving mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit, especially when the clinical course is deteriorating and antibiotics are ineffective.
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Being hospitalized in an intensive care unit ICU often involves pain and discomfort. While pain is commonly alleviated with analgesics, discomfort is more difficult to diagnose and treat, thus potentially leading to incorrect analgesic administration. ⋯ Practitioners saw pain as a dominant source of discomfort. Treating overall discomfort should focus on improving the quality of the total intensive care unit experience. Strategies to diagnose non-pain discomfort and pain were similar. Differentiating pain from non-pain discomfort is essential in order to provide appropriate treatment for pain and non-pain-related discomfort.