Articles: critical-care.
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Letter Case Reports
The rigidity of Blue Cross-Blue Shield leads to a ridiculous situation.
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We used flexible fiberoptic endoscopy to evaluate 87 patients with potential problems of the airway in a pediatric intensive care unit. Four different-sized bronchoscopes were used to perform 61 diagnostic laryngoscopic procedures, 35 diagnostic bronchoscopic procedures, and eight therapeutic bronchoscopic procedures. ⋯ Morbidity was minimal, and there was no death. Flexible fiberoptic endoscopy proved useful as a bedside technique for critically ill pediatric patients in whom evaluation of the airway in the operating room under general anesthesia would have been difficult.
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Intensive care medicine · Jan 1988
Mortality and quality of life after intensive care for critical illness.
Early and late mortality of 313 ICU patients and the quality of life of 118 long term ICU survivors was studied to assess the effectiveness of intensive care for critically ill patients. The survival rate at discharge from the ICU was 76%, falling to 61% at 6 months and to 58% at 1 year. A simplified acute physiology score (SAPS) was recorded on ICU admission, as well as age, length of ICU-stay and the number of complications during intensive care. ⋯ In 21% of the patients a deteriorated physical condition was found, 77% remained unchanged and 2% were improved 2 years after ICU discharge, compared to their condition prior to the acute illness. Major functional impairment was found in 38% of the patients. Although the longterm physical condition and functional status correlated with SAPS and age on ICU admission, the best indicator for quality of life after intensive care proved to be the health status prior to the acute illness.