Search Tag: critically ill patients
Restraint-before-prescribing-acid-suppressive-therapy
2017 02 Jun
According to an article published in Critical Care Nurse, the routine use of acid-suppressive therapy for all hospitalised patients including all critically ill patients, is inappropriate and should only be limited to patients who actually need them and meet specific criteria. Due to the fact that critically ill patients are at an increased risk...Read more
Cholestatic-alterations-in-the-critically-ill
2017 05 Sep
Hepatic dysfunction and jaundice are traditionally viewed as late features of sepsis and other critical illnesses. Identifying true cholestatic liver dysfunction is difficult given the lack of specificity of standard laboratory tests, especially in the context of a complex systemic condition as critical illness. However, very high levels of cholestatic...Read more
Managing-renal-replacement-therapy-in-aki-patients
2018 23 Jan
It is estimated that 22–57% of critically ill patients develop acute kidney injury (AKI) during their hospitalisation. The increasing incidence of AKI has the immediate effect of a growing need for renal replacement therapy (RRT). However, evidence on how to manage RRT in critically ill patients with AKI remains limited because of ambiguous study results...Read more
Augmented-renal-clearance-the-need-for-guidelines
2018 22 Feb
Renal function in critically ill patients has been routinely assessed with the objective of detecting renal impairment and adjusting drug doses. Although augmented renal clearance (ARC) has also been identified in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, ARC is a less well-studied phenomenon that could lead to faster elimination of drugs. A new systematic...Read more
Sedative-prevents-delirium-in-icu-patients
2018 06 Mar
Results of a randomised, placebo-controlled trial showed that a low dose of the sedative dexmedetomidine given at night may prevent delirium in critically ill patients. In this study of 100 ICU patients, half of them were randomly assigned to receive intravenous dexmedetomidine; the other half were given the placebo. The trial published online in...Read more
From-multiple-organ-support-therapy-to-extracorporeal-organ-support-in-critically-ill-patients
2018 16 Mar
The complex nature of the multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) requires an integrated supportive therapy. Native organs have a continuous crosstalk and have in common in most cases an altered composition of the blood circulating and perfusing them. In this article we describe the concept of extracorporeal organ support (ECOS) for the treatment...Read more
Corticosteroid-use-associated-with-icu-acquired-weakness
2018 13 Aug
There is a significant association between corticosteroid use and intensive care unit-acquired weakness, according to results of a systematic review and meta-analysis. Thus, exposure to corticosteroids should be limited, or the administration time should be shortened in clinical practice to reduce the risk of ICU-acquired weakness in adult patients,...Read more
Clinical-use-of-beta-lactam-antibiotics-in-critically-ill-patients
2018 03 Oct
Antimicrobials, specifically beta-lactam antibiotics are the most commonly prescribed drugs in the management of critically ill patients. However, pathophysiological factors in these patients can often lead to altered pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of beta-lactams. While choosing the most appropriate antimicrobial is critical, determining...Read more
Sedation-in-icu-patients-need-for-standardised-protocols
2019 23 Apr
A Johns Hopkins-led study on sedation practices in critically ill patients in a resource-limited setting finds that deep sedation, agitation, and benzodiazepines were independently associated with worse clinical outcomes. The study's main objective was to determine the relationship between sedation status and 90-day mortality. Study results...Read more
Respiratory-physiotherapy-in-critically-ill-patients
2019 30 May
Respiratory pathologies are among the most common causes of admission to critical care. Respiratory physiotherapy represents a fundamental part of the standard practice in ICU. The following review provides a practical and feasible description of the main physiotherapeutic tools and strategies that can be applied to critically ill patients....Read more
Sedation-with-dexmedetomidine-in-critically-ill-patients
2019 30 May
Dexmedetomidine is used to sedate patients while maintaining a certain degree of sustainability. The use of dexmedetomidine is known to reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation and delirium among patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, its use as the sole sedative agent in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation has not been studied...Read more
Clinical-examination-for-prediction-of-mortality-in-critically-ill-patients
2019 03 Aug
Patients admitted to the ICU have a high mortality rate. Even those who survive the stay tend to suffer from long-term morbidity and reduced quality of life. Critically ill patients frequently present with low blood pressure, oliguria, and skin mottling. These are the signs that usually guide treatment. Most critical care guidelines on the management...Read more
Stable-unstable-cardiovascular-dynamics-in-critically-ill-patients
2019 09 Aug
There is currently doubt over the terms stable and unstable regarding cardiovascular dynamics in critically ill patients. Labelling a patient as haemodynamically stable or unstable can have different connotations depending on the practising physician. The term stable is originally defined as the condition of the patient being unchanged for a substantial...Read more
Study-the-utility-of-masimo-ori-to-reduce-hyperoxia-in-critically-ill-patients
2019 26 Aug
Masimo announced today that in a randomized controlled study involving 150 ICU patients recently published as a letter in Intensive Care Medicine, researchers investigated whether monitoring with Masimo ORi™ (Oxygen Reserve Index) could reduce the time critically ill patients spend with moderate hyperoxia, compared to monitoring with oxygen saturation...Read more
Transfusions-using-fresh-red-blood-cells-vs-older-cells
2019 16 Dec
In critically ill children, transfusion is quite frequent. A 2009-2010 study reports that approximately 10 to 20% of critically ill children received a blood cell transfusion. The primary goal of transfusions in critically ill patients is to improve oxygen delivery and to prevent shock, organ failure, and death. Hospitals store red blood cells...Read more
Delirium-subtypes-in-adult-icus
2020 19 Feb
Delirium is a common problem in patients admitted to the intensive care unit and is associated with increased length of hospital stay, high mortality and long term cognitive impairment. Delayed diagnosis can often make things worse. Delirium is known to fluctuate in its presentation and its severity can also vary. Delirium is generally classified...Read more
Comparison-of-t-piece-and-pressure-support-ventilation
2020 03 Mar
Weaning from mechanical ventilation is one of the most importance challenges in the ICU. The longer the patients remain on the mechanical ventilator, the greater the risk of complications including longer ICU and hospital stay, higher rates of infection and greater mortality. In some patients, a spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) is conducted to...Read more
Microtools-to-identify-and-resuscitate-microcirculatory-dysfunction-in-critically-ill-patients
2020 14 Sep
An overview of real-time digital assessment of microcirculation and quantification of tissue perfusion and the physiological and technical considerations that may, in the near future, change the way we look at circulatory shock in critically ill patients. The Challenges of Detecting Circulatory Shock Despite recent advances in the...Read more
Choosing-wisely-the-next-five-recommendations
2021 07 Mar
In 2010, Howard Brody, a medical ethicist and family physician, authored "Medicine's Ethical Responsibility for Healthcare Reform - The Top Five List". His list challenged medical societies to identify five interventions in healthcare that were overused, and that did not provide patient benefit. Following the same logic, the American Board of Internal...Read more
Critical-care-canada-forum-2021
2021 06 Dec
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