Articles: critical-illness.
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Comparative Study
Delaying initiation of diuretics in critically ill patients with recent vasopressor use and high positive fluid balance.
Fluid overload is associated with poor outcomes. Clinicians might be reluctant to initiate diuretic therapy for patients with recent vasopressor use. We estimated the effect on 30-day mortality of withholding or delaying diuretics after vasopressor use in patients with probable fluid overload. ⋯ Withholding diuretic initiation after vasopressor use in patients with high cumulative positive balance (>5 L) was estimated to increase 30-day mortality. These findings are hypothesis generating and should be tested in a clinical trial.
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Multicenter Study
Prognostic Uncertainty in Critically Ill Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Multicenter Qualitative Study.
Prognostic uncertainty is frequently cited as a barrier to communication between physicians and patients and is particularly burdensome for surrogate decision-makers, who must make choices on behalf of their incapacitated family members. The Conceptual Taxonomy of Uncertainty is one model through which physician and surrogate communication can be analyzed to identify strategies for reducing uncertainty in surrogate decision-making. Our objective was to examine themes of uncertainty in physician communication of prognosis and surrogate goals-of-care decision-making for critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ We found that physician communication strategies rarely addressed surrogate needs regarding uncertainty adequately, suggesting an urgent need for future research into improved communication of prognostic uncertainty.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Oct 2021
Observational StudyA Cross-Sectional Study of the Clinical Metrics of Functional Status Tools in Pediatric Critical Illness.
To determine the clinical metrics of functional assessments in pediatric critical illness survivors. ⋯ PICU functional assessment tools have varying clinical metrics. Considering ceiling effects, Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test may be more suitable in survivors than Functional Status Scale. Differences in scores between children with or without complex chronic conditions, and with or without baseline functional impairment, were not observed. Functional assessments likely require a combination of tools to measure the spectrum of pediatric critical illness and recovery.
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To analyze serial biomarkers of the persistent inflammation, immunosuppression, and catabolism syndrome (PICS) to gain insight into the pathobiology of chronic critical illness (CCI) after surgical sepsis. ⋯ Persistent elevations of PICS biomarkers in the CCI and Zubrod 4/5 cohorts and their improved prediction of Zubrod 4/5 validate that PICS plays a role in CCI pathobiology.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Oct 2021
Observational StudyUltrasound Assessment of Quadriceps Femoris Muscle Thickness in Critically Ill Children.
Evaluate the reliability of ultrasound to measure quadriceps femoris muscle thickness in critically ill children and to describe serial changes in quadriceps femoris muscle thickness in relation to fluid balance and nutritional intake. ⋯ Averaged ultrasound measurements of quadriceps femoris muscle thickness demonstrate good to excellent reliability, are not confounded by fluid balance, and are useful for tracking changes in muscle thickness that are associated with nutritional intake. Ultrasound-based assessment of quadriceps femoris is a clinically useful tool for evaluating muscle mass and may be a proxy for nutritional status.