Chest
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Review Case Reports
Challenges in Providing Critical Care for Patients With Anti-N-Methyl-d-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis.
Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis (NMDARE) is characterized by a constellation of psychiatric, neurologic, autonomic, and cardiopulmonary manifestations. Although patients typically recover with appropriate treatment, they commonly require weeks to months of inpatient care, including prolonged stays in critical care units. This case series not only advocates for consideration of the disease in the appropriate context but also specifically highlights the distinct challenges intensivists encounter caring for patients with NMDARE. With a greater knowledge of the nuances and sequelae of NMDARE, critical care specialists will be better equipped to anticipate and manage the potentially life-threatening complications of the disease.
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Providing artificial nutrition is an important part of caring for critically ill patients. However, because of a paucity of robust data, the practice has been highly variable and often based more on dogma than evidence. ⋯ In this article, we review and summarize the data from a number of the published studies, including studies investigating enteral vs parenteral nutrition, supplementing enteral with parenteral nutrition, and use of immunonutrition. In addition, published studies informing the practice of how best to provide enteral nutrition will be reviewed, including the use of trophic feedings, gastric residual volumes, and gastric vs postpyloric tube placement.