Articles: intensive-care-units.
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To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of prolonged mechanical ventilation in patients 80 years of age and older in the intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ Based on hospital charges and life expectancy, the cost-effectiveness of prolonged mechanical ventilation in ICU patients age 80 years and over was poor in our population when the combination of age and duration of mechanical ventilation exceeded 100. Further studies using this type of analysis may prove valuable in both clinical and administrative decision-making processes.
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Children hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit are frequently distressed. The purpose of this study was to identify the patterns of use of sedative agents in pediatric critical care patients. A questionnaire survey was mailed to 45 directors of Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship Training Programs listed in Critical Care Medicine, January 1989. ⋯ Although withdrawal is seen in 61.8% of units, it is generally treated when recognized, rather than prevented by routine tapering of sedation. Optimal sedation of pediatric intensive care unit patients is considered problematic, despite the use of frequent doses of many sedatives. Systematic investigation of pharmacodynamic response to these agents in the pediatric critical care population is indicated.
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Critical care medicine · Feb 1993
Descriptive analysis of critical care units in the United States: patient characteristics and intensive care unit utilization.
To gather data about occupancy, admission characteristics, patients' ages, and types of therapy utilized in ICUs in the United States. ⋯ This report should be viewed as the beginning step of an effort to improve both the information base available on critical care medicine and the performance of ICUs. Our survey findings provide an introduction into the everyday workings of critical care units throughout the United States. Research is required to determine which patients will benefit from intensive care and how to efficiently utilize the vast technology we have available for them in a world with limited financial resources, an aging population, and a multiplicity of societal and ethical concerns.