2010 Jun 14 - Hypervolemia induces and potentiates lung damage after recruitment maneuver in a model of sepsis-induced acute lung injury
Abstract (provisional)
Introduction
Recruitment maneuvers (RMs) seem to be more effective in extrapulmonary acute lung injury (ALI), caused mainly by sepsis, than in pulmonary ALI. Nevertheless, the maintenance of adequate volemic status is particularly challenging in sepsis. Since the interaction between volemic status and RMs is not well established, we investigated the effects of RMs on lung and distal organs in the presence of hypovolemia, normovolemia, and hypervolemia in a model of extrapulmonary lung injury induced by sepsis.
2010 Jun - Survival trends in critically ill HIV-infected patients in the highly active antiretroviral therapy era
Isaline Coquet, Juliette Pavie, Pierre Palmer, Francois Barbier, Stephane Legriel, Julien Mayaux, Jean-michel Molina, Benoit Schlemmer, Elie Azoulay. Critical Care 2010, 14:R107 (9 June 2010)
Introduction: The widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has reduced HIV-related life threatening infectious complications. Our objective was to assess whether HAART was associated with improved survival in critically ill HIV-infected patients.
2010 Jun - Extravascular lung water index measurement in critically ill children does not correlate with a chest X-ray score of pulmonary edema
Joris Lemson, Lya E van Die, Anique EA Hemelaar, Johannes G van der Hoeven. Critical Care 2010, 14:R105 (8 June 2010)
Introduction: Extravascular lung water index (EVLWI) can be measured at the bedside using the transpulmonary thermodilution technique (TPTD). The goal of this study was to compare EVLWI values with a chest X-ray score of pulmonary edema and markers of oxygenation in critically ill children.
2010 Jun - Incidence and prognostic impact of new onset atrial fibrillation in patients with septic shock: a prospective observational study
Introduction: Since data regarding new onset atrial fibrillation (AF) in septic shock patients are scarce, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the incidence and prognostic impact of new onset AF in this patient group.
2010 Apr - Catheter dysfunction and dialysis performance according to vascular access among 736 critically ill adults requiring renal replacement therapy: A randomized controlled study
Objective: To compare dialysis catheter function according to catheter site.
Design: Multicenter, open, randomized controlled trial.
Setting: Nine university-affiliated hospitals and three general hospitals in France.
Patients: Seven hundred thirty-six patients in intensive care units who required a first venous catheterization to perform either intermittent hemodialysis (470 patients with 1275 sessions) or continuous renal replacement therapy (266 patients with 1003 days).
2010 Apr 30 - Review: Bench-to-bedside review: Carbon dioxide
Abstract (provisional)
Carbon dioxide is a waste product of aerobic cellular respiration in all aerobic life forms. PaCO2 represents the balance between the CO2 produced and that eliminated.
2010 Apr - Electrical muscle stimulation prevents critical illness polyneuromyopathy: a randomized parallel intervention trial
Christina Routsi, Vasiliki Gerovasili, Ioannis Vasileiadis, Eleftherios Karatzanos, Theodore Pitsolis, Elli Sophia Tripodaki, Vasiliki Markaki, Dimitrios Zervakis, Serafim Nanas; Critical Care 2010, 14:R74 (28 April 2010)
Introduction: Critical illness polyneuromyopathy (CIPNM) is a common complication of critical illness presenting with muscle weakness and is associated with increased duration of mechanical ventilation and weaning period. No preventive tool and no specific treatment have been proposed so far for CIPNM. Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) has been shown to be beneficial in patients with severe chronic heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of EMS in preventing CIPNM in critically ill patients.
2010 Mar - Mechanism, Glasgow Coma Scale, Age, and Arterial Pressure (MGAP): A new simple prehospital triage score to predict mortality in trauma patients
Objectives: Prehospital triage of trauma patients is of paramount importance because adequate trauma center referral improves survival. We developed a simple score that is easy to calculate in the prehospital phase.
2010 Apr 19 - Letter: Vacuum-assisted closure device in intensive care unit patients and dissemination of Gram-negative bacteria
We read with interest the study by Batacchi and colleagues in a recent issue of Critical Care [1]. Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) decompression is promising for the management of open abdomen, but our limited experience with this system suggests that dissemination of bacteria may occur.
2010 Apr 14 - Commentary: Clinical features of H1N1 2009 infection in critically ill immunocompromised patients
Seasonal influenza virus has been described as an emerging and severe pathogen in immunocompromised hosts.
2010 Apr - Is albumin use SAFE in patients with traumatic brain injury?
Background
The Saline versus Albumin Fluid Evaluation study suggested that patients with traumatic brain injury resuscitated with albumin had a higher mortality rate than those resuscitatedwith saline. The SAFE investigators conducted a post hoc follow-up study of patientswith traumatic brain injury who were enrolled in the study.
2010 Apr 9 - A systematic review of the impact of sedation practice in the ICU on resource use, costs and patient safety
Abstract (provisional)
Introduction
Patients in intensive care units (ICUs) often receive sedation for prolonged periods. In order to better understand the impact of sub-optimal sedation practice on outcomes, we performed a systematic review, including observational studies and controlled trials which were conducted in sedated patients in the ICU and which compared the impact of changes in or different protocols for sedation management on economic and patient safety outcomes.
2010 Apr 1 - Prospective monitoring of cefepime in intensive care unit adult patients
Abstract (provisional)
Introduction
Cefepime has been associated with a greater risk of mortality than other beta-lactams in patients treated for severe sepsis.
2010 Apr - Revisiting the loading dose of amikacin for patients with severe sepsis and septic shock
Introduction:
It has been proposed that doses of amikacin of more than 15 mg/kg should be used in conditions associated with an increased volume of distribution (Vd), such as severe sepsis and septic shock. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether 25 mg/kg (total body weight) of amikacin is an adequate loading dose for these patients.
2010 Apr - Management of bleeding following major trauma: an updated European guideline
Introduction:
Evidence-based recommendations are needed to guide the acute management of the bleeding trauma patient, which when implemented may improve patient outcomes.
2010 Feb 25 - Review - Pro/con debate: Should antimicrobial stewardship programs be adopted universally in the intensive care unit?
Abstract
You are director of a large multi-disciplinary ICU. You have recently read that hospital-wide antibiotic stewardship programs have the potential to improve the quality and safety of care, and to reduce the emergence of multi-drug resistant organisms and overall costs.
2010 Mar 26 - Review: Clinical review - Scoring systems in the critically ill
Abstract (provisional)
General illness severity scores are widely used in the ICU to predict outcome, characterize disease severity and degree of organ dysfunction, and assess resource use.
2009 Dec - Hypothermia in bleeding trauma: a friend or a foe? [Review]
Kheirbek T, Kochanek AR, Alam HB.; Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2009 Dec 23;17(1):65.
The induction of hypothermia for cellular protection is well established in several clinical settings. Its role in trauma patients, however, is controversial. This review discusses the benefits and complications of induced hypothermia--emphasizing the current state of knowledge and potential applications in bleeding patients. Extensive pre-clinical data suggest that in advanced stages of shock, rapid cooling can protect cells during ischemia and reperfusion, decrease organ damage, and improve survival.
2010 Mar - Cost of acute renal replacement therapy in the intensive care unit: results from The Beginning and Ending Supportive Therapy for the Kidney (BEST Kidney) Study
Introduction
Severe acute kidney injury (AKI) can be treated with either continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) or intermittent renal replacement therapy (IRRT). Limited evidence from existing studies does not support an outcome advantage of one modality versus the other and most centers around the word use both modalities according to patient needs. However, cost estimates involve multiple factors that may not be generalizable to other sites and, to date, only single-center cost studies have been performed. The aim of this study was to estimate the cost difference between CRRT and IRRT in the intensive care unit (ICU).
2010 Feb 11 - Commentary: Extracorporeal gas exchange in acute lung injury: step by step towards expanded indications?
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is widely accepted as a rescue therapy in patients with acute life-threatening hypoxemia in the course of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, possible side effects and complications are considered to limit beneficial outcome effects.