Shock is an emergency, and if it is not treated, it will mostly be fatal. Early intervention and admission to the ICU is essential. Our cover story considers several aspects of shock, including pathophysiology and multi-organ dysfunction syndrome, as well as source control, fluids, differentiation using point-of-care ultrasound and vasoactive medication....
READ MOREMechanisms of endotoxin-induced multi-organ damage. Endotoxin-induced sepsis remains a leading cause of mortality in intensive care units (ICUs) worldwide. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) identification by the immune system triggers a cascade of signalling pathways, leading to the release of several cytokines and chemokines, which orchestrate the...
READ MOREPoint-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is an invaluable tool to differentiate the various types of shock which may co-exist in the critically unwell patient. It is beyond the remit of this article to teach the skill of POCUS. Rather, it provides an overview of how the various POCUS modules could be integrated and utilised in the shocked patient....
READ MOREXenon and brain injury. Xenon, a chemically inert but biologically active monatomic gas, has been applied in patients for anaesthesia/sedation, and most recently in the critical care of patients with acute ongoing neurological damage. Following preclinical evidence that xenon has ameliorative activity in several pathobiologic...
READ MOREThe latest in diagnosis and treatment. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition in children. Current paediatric definitions are based on systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Since the publication of the third international consensus definitions for sepsis and septic shock for adults, efforts in paediatrics are focused on finding a definition...
READ MOREAvicenne ICU’s initiative. Decisions to limit therapy (DTLT) are routine for ICU physicians. Although breaking bad news is one of the most difficult tasks clinicians face, ongoing communication is even more crucial as families (not necessary following a legal or genetic definition) of critically ill patients have heightened communication...
READ MOREShares experiences of implementing extracorporeal life support in a non-academic hospital. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening disorder characterised by severe impairment of gas exchange. The most common causes are pneumonia, sepsis and acute pancreatitis. It is accurately defined in the Berlin definitions...
READ MOREInterview with Jannicke Mellin-Olsen, President, World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists. Jannicke Mellin-Olsen, MD, DPH is Consultant Anaesthesiologist at the Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, Bærum Hospital, Norway. She is President of the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists, and...
READ MOREIn healthcare, the tendency is more on managing events after they happen rather than adopting a proactive approach to prevention. This is a major reason why the number of CVD patients continues to increase each year and why cardiovascular disease continues to be one of the leading causes of death and disability. Approximately 17.7 million people...
READ MOREThe 27th EAHM Congress looks at providing healthcare to a changing population and adapting to digitisation With the 27th European Association of Hospital Managers (EAHM) Congress being held in Cascais, Lisbon at the end of September, HealthManagement interviews Alexandre Lourenço, President of hosting organisation, the Portuguese Association...
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