Ugeskrift for laeger
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Intensive care contributes to a substantial part of health care expenses. Admission to intensive care units is associated with a high mortality rate and a high risk of long-term disability. ⋯ Lack of knowledge regarding the use of intensive care and long-term outcome as well as the effectiveness and adverse effects of intensive care impede a systematic and evidence-based development and quality improvement. An initiative to establish a Danish national clinical database for intensive care has been launched.
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The first multidisciplinary intensive care unit in the world was established at the Copenhagen Municipal Hospital in December 1953. The man behind the concept was the Danish anesthesiologist Bjørn Ibsen (born: 1915). ⋯ It is concluded that despite the increased sophistication of intensive care therapy, it often meets with failure because it is started too late. The development of an early warning system is urgently needed.
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Kodimagnyl is a widely used analgesic agent, particularly in outpatient practice. It is a combination of morphine and acetylsalicylic acid. ⋯ The acetylsalicylic acid component may in all probability be the cause of the hypokalaemia. Kodimagnyl is generally not included in a standard toxicology screen but should be considered in cases of hypokalaemia.