Articles: critical-care.
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Off J Can Assoc Crit Care Nurs · Jan 1998
Communication needs of patients receiving mechanical ventilation: a pilot study.
Patients experiencing mechanical ventilation are unable to speak while being dependent on others for their physical needs. The purpose of this work is to describe the communication needs of individuals who are mechanically ventilated. This article reports the findings of a pilot study to assess communication needs of ventilated patients and to compare patients' perceptions of their needs with their nurses' perceptions of their needs. ⋯ The only statistically significant correlation was observed for the needs concerning social stimulation. Nurses and patients did not agree on the patients' communication needs in areas of information-seeking, information-sharing or request for assistance. Further research is needed to verify these findings.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Thiopental in CSF and serum correlates with prolonged loss of cortical activity.
Barbiturate coma is initiated in brain-injured patients whenever elevated intracranial pressure remains unresponsive to other therapeutical strategies. However, barbiturates alter cortical activity resulting in difficulties in clinical evaluation. ⋯ Prolonged unresponsiveness to exteroceptive stimuli correlates with persisting thiopental in CSF and serum. Thus, quantitative analysis of thiopental in serum becomes indispensable in predicting the length of drug-induced neurological impairment and in avoiding misinterpretation of the neurological status.
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J. Pediatr. Gastroenterol. Nutr. · Jan 1998
Transpyloric enteral feeding in critically ill children.
Nutrition is important in childhood because the child has a lower energy reserve than the adult and a higher demand for calories because of ongoing growth. In this study, the utility of transpyloric enteral feeding (TEF) in critically ill children was evaluated. ⋯ Transpyloric enteral feeding is a good method of nutritional support in critically ill children and can be used in patients treated with neuromuscular blocking agents. The frequency and severity of complications and the risks of pulmonary infection and hepatic dysfunction related to TEF are low.