Articles: function.
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Patients with critical illness, particularly those who depend on intensive care for a prolonged period of time, have a high morbidity and mortality. The acute and chronic phases of critical illness are associated with distinct endocrine alterations. Acute endocrine adaptations to the severe stress of critical illness, comprising an activated anterior pituitary function, have been selected by nature and can, as such, be considered as beneficial for surviving. ⋯ Insulin infusion titrated to maintain normoglycemia may be a notable exception, as this intervention has been proven to increase survival and reduce morbidity of surgical intensive care patients. Treatment of "relative adrenal failure" with hydrocortisone also appears to improve the outcome of patients with septic shock, but diagnostic and dosing issues still remain unresolved. Although extensive research has shown that infusion of hypothalamic-releasing peptides is able to restore physiological hormonal patterns within the somatotropic, thyrotropic, and gonadal axes and, thereby, to generate a controlled anabolic response, further research is needed to investigate whether such interventions actually improve the outcome of critical illness.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Apr 2005
Evaluation of health-related quality-of-life and dyspnea scales in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Correlation with pulmonary function tests.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has a profound impact on the functional status of patients. We sought to determine whether the health-related quality of life is affected in patients with IPF. ⋯ Our results suggest that dyspnea scales and the SGRQ are sensitive tools for assessing health-related quality of life in patients with IPF.
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Changes in epidemiology and advances in the treatment of coronary artery disease, hypertension and diabetes mellitus have increased the prevalence of heart failure in the general population, and also the number of patients with heart failure presenting for surgery. Particularly in the perioperative period, patients with chronic heart failure are faced with numerous triggers of acute decompensation that can partly be avoided or treated. Patients without preexisting myocardial contractile dysfunction may sustain severe perioperative complications, e.g. myocardial infarction, with subsequent acute heart failure as a consequence. Approaches for diagnosis and treatment in these situations may vary considerably. ⋯ The role of B-type natriuretic peptide testing in the perioperative period is confounded by several variables that limit its use in that setting. New developments in positive inotropic therapy are challenging older and potentially harmful treatment strategies.
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Enthesopathies are a common cause of axial pain that is amenable to "minimally invasive" therapy. ⋯ Injection therapy of painful enthesopathies can provide significant relief of axial pain and tenderness combined with functional improvement, even in "failed back syndrome" patients. Phenol-glycerol prolotherapy provides better and longer lasting relief than injection with anesthetics alone. Prolotherapy provides over six months of relief for some patients but generally provides relief for only a few months. However, most patients described good to excellent relief, felt that the injections had been beneficial, and requested additional injections for recurrent or residual focal pain.
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Liver failure is a rare but life-threatening condition affecting a multitude of other organ systems, most notably the brain and kidneys, following severe hepatocellular injury. Liver failure may develop in the absence ('acute') or presence ('acute-on-chronic') of liver disease with substantial differences in pathophysiology and therapeutic options. Within the last 12 months substantial progress has been made in identifying patients who will potentially benefit from extracorporeal support of their failing liver. ⋯ Although mortality remains high, substantial progress has been made in 2004 regarding the understanding of pathophysiology, and the monitoring and support of the patient presenting with a failing liver.