Articles: function.
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Critical care medicine · Aug 2015
Dichotomous "Good Outcome" Indicates Mobility More Than Cognitive or Social Quality of Life.
Worthwhile interventions for intracerebral hemorrhage or subarachnoid hemorrhage generally hinge on whether they improve the odds of good outcome. Although good outcome is correlated with mobility, correlations with other domains of health-related quality of life, such as cognitive function and social functioning, are not well described. We tested the hypothesis that good outcome is more closely associated with mobility than other domains. ⋯ Health-related quality of life assessments reliably distinguished between good and poor outcomes as determined by the modified Rankin Scale. Good outcome indicated health-related quality of life about 1.5 SD below the U.S. population mean. Associations were weaker for cognitive function and social function than mobility.
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One reason for refusal of donor hearts is the development of left ventricular systolic dysfunction, a condition reported to occur in up to 42 % of adults with brain death. Prior studies have suggested that appropriate donor management and evaluation of cardiac dysfunction with serial echocardiography (TTE) can improve organ procurement. The aims of our study are to examine the prevalence and describe longitudinal changes in cardiac dysfunction after brain death. ⋯ To our knowledge, the present study is the largest study describing the use of serial TTE and its utilization in adult donors. The prevalence of cardiac dysfunction after adult brain death is high, but given enough time and support, many of these donors have improvement in cardiac function, ultimately leading to transplantation.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Aug 2015
Observational StudyFeasibility of post-intensive Care Unit Clinics: an observational cohort study of two different approaches.
Post-ICU clinics have been advocated to reduce long-term physical and psychological impairments among ICU survivors. A format for optimal structure, timing, and care content has not yet been established. We developed and implemented two post-ICU clinics in different hospital settings and evaluated the feasibility. ⋯ This study provides valuable information to support the implementation of post-ICU clinics. The use of validated screening instruments facilitates the identification of patients with need for further treatment. Early in-hospital screening and recruiting patients at highest risk for adverse outcome could be a more targeted approach to achieve greater benefit.
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Clinical outcomes are typically assessed by trained staff. We tested the hypothesis that outcomes reported by the patient or a caregiver on the web would be correlated with a validated interview. ⋯ Web-based HRQoL assessment with NIH PROMIS and Neuro-QOL is feasible and correlated with a validated interview for the mRS. T scores distinguished between individual categories of the mRS, detecting modest differences in physical function and mobility HRQoL that are difficult to detect with the mRS. PROMIS and Neuro-QOL provide powerful and sensitive outcomes for potentially large cohorts.