Articles: intensive-care-units.
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To evaluate the morbidity and severity of illness during interhospital transfer of critically ill children by a specialised paediatric retrieval team. ⋯ Our study indicates that a specialised paediatric retrieval team can rapidly deliver intensive care to critically ill children awaiting transfer. Such children can be transferred to a paediatric intensive care unit with minimal morbidity and mortality related to transport. There was no deterioration in the clinical condition of most patients during transfer.
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To examine the incidence, risk factors, and outcome of severe sepsis in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. ⋯ Only three of four patients presenting with clinically suspected severe sepsis have documented infection. However, patients with clinically suspected sepsis but without microbiological documentation and patients with documented infection share common risk factors and are at similarly high risk of death. In addition to the severity of illness score, acute organ failures and the characteristics of underlying diseases should be accounted for in stratification of patients and outcome analyses.
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The increasingly competitive health care environment may undermine effective traditional regional organizations. It is urgent to document the benefits of perinatal regionalization for the emerging health care system. We present a case study that illustrates many of the challenges to and benefits of perinatal regionalization in the 1990s. ⋯ Regionalization permits better care at lower cost, yet competition may disrupt this effective system. Active cooperation by stakeholders is vital. Substantial new research is required to define optimal regional organization.
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Intensive care medicine · Sep 1995
Epidemiologic aspects and results of applying the TRISS methodology in a Spanish trauma intensive care unit (TICU).
Analysis of epidemiologic aspects in a trauma intensive care unit (TICU) and assessment of predicted outcomes. ⋯ We found a 19.6% mortality in the TICU. Cranial and abdominal/pelvic injury and age over 65 were the main risk factors on admittance. Clinically, we finally agreed with the majority of TRISS outcome predictions. However, we could not statistically validate the apparent clinical goodness of the TRISS methodology.