Articles: critical-care.
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Intensive care medicine · Jan 1990
ReviewPractical points in the application of oxygen transport principles.
Application of the principles of oxygen transport in the management of critically ill patients can influence the frequency of organ failure and outcome. Adequate tissue oxygen consumption in these patients may depend on a supranormal level of oxygen delivery. ⋯ The methods used to perform the measurements are reviewed. Widespread acceptance and use of oxygen transport protocols in treatment is only possible if the measurements on which they are based are accurate and properly interpreted.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand Suppl · Jan 1990
ReviewQuantitative surface electromyography (qEMG): applications in anaesthesiology and critical care.
During general anaesthesia and in lowered vigilance states such as after major trauma and during heavy sedation or analgesic medication, patients' ability to communicate with their surroundings is limited. Subjective intuitional interpretation may be the only means to ascertain a patient's emotional state, mood, and pain perception. Electromyographic detection and quantification of minimal and covert facial mimic muscle activity in anaesthesiology and critical care was an interesting concept worth further evaluation. ⋯ Inadequate anaesthesia was always reflected by an increase in facial qEMG, albeit this often was also evident to the naked eye. The arousal at the end of anaesthesia was always associated with an abrupt increase in facial qEMG activity, which often was preceded by a more gradual, predictive rise. Auditory stimulation was also effective in increasing qEMG.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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Medical authorities have asserted the importance of observing a patient's clinical course over time. Distinguished committees have suggested that changes over time in physicians' prognostic estimates should influence decisions to transfer patients out of intensive care units (ICUs). This study evaluated how the opportunity to observe patients over time affected physicians' prognostic estimates for a cohort of 269 critically ill patients sequentially admitted to a medical-surgical ICU in a teaching hospital. ⋯ No group of physicians substantially improved the reliability or the discriminating power of its later estimates. The physicians in the study could not take advantage of sequential clinical information over time. These results point out the need to teach physicians how to better integrate and process sequential clinical data.
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Clin Intensive Care · Jan 1990
Evaluation of clinical scoring systems in critically ill infants and children.
Four scoring systems, the Acute Physiologic Score for Children (APSC), the Physiologic Stability Index (PSI), the Paediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) and the Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (TISS), were evaluated for 103 critically ill infants and children according to the Clinical Classification System (CCS) class IV. The admission scores were higher for children who died than those who lived (APSC, PSI, PRISM p less than 0.001, TISS p <0.025). In addition, the mean APSC and PSI showed significant differences (p less than 0.01) between survivors (S) and nonsurvivors (NS) in all patients, mean PRISM showed significant differences (p less than 0.01) between S and NS in all but renal failure patients and the mean TISS showed only significant differences (p less than 0.01) between S and NS with primary cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. ⋯ However, there was a significant difference between the physiologic scores and TISS (p less than 0.001). Admission APSC, PSI and PRISM excellently describe severity of illness and give prognostic information in critically ill paediatric patients. In addition, TISS gives information about the therapeutic support needed.