Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin
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Med Klin Intensivmed Notfmed · Feb 2016
Review[Therapeutic hypothermia in 2015 : Influence of the TTM study on the intensive care procedure after cardiac arrest].
In the 1960s, Peter Safar et al. postulated the benefit of postcardiac arrest hypothermia after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). However, therapeutic hypothermia postCPR did not become a standard procedure until the first few years of the new millennium. Various noninvasive and invasive cooling methods are available. Generally, more invasive cooling methods are more effective-but also tend to involve more complications. Furthermore, invasive measures need more time and thus may be instituted late in the postCPR process, delaying the cooling efforts in the initial phase. There is ongoing controversy about when best to commence cooling. ⋯ Transport of patients after CPR to specialized postcardiac arrest centres with the possibility of acute PCI and cooling, comparable to the transfer of multiple trauma patients to trauma centres, may be beneficial.
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Med Klin Intensivmed Notfmed · Feb 2016
Review[Special aspects of analgosedation in cardiogenic shock patients].
Patients with cardiogenic shock pose a challenge to physicians due to cardiorespiratory instability in addition to the underlying medical condition. If analgosedation and ventilation are indicated, commonly administered drugs themselves often influence hemodynamics and oxygenation. The present article provides an overview of the available substances with consideration of the patients' condition, then monitoring and optimization of analgosedation.
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Med Klin Intensivmed Notfmed · Nov 2015
Review[Quality assurance concepts in intensive care medicine].
Intensive care medicine (ICM) is characterized by a high degree of complexity and requires intense communication and collaboration on interdisciplinary and multiprofessional levels. In order to achieve good quality of care in this environment and to prevent errors, a proactive quality and error management as well as a structured quality assurance system are essential. Since the early 1990s, German intensive care societies have developed concepts for quality management and assurance in ICM. ⋯ The first version of German ICM quality indicators was published in 2010 by an interdisciplinary and interprofessional expert commission. Key figures, indicators, and national benchmarks are intended to describe the quality of structures, processes, and outcomes in intensive care. Many of the quality assurance tools have proved to be useful in clinical practice, but nationwide implementation still can be improved.
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Med Klin Intensivmed Notfmed · Nov 2015
Review[Treatment of atrial fibrillation in intensive care units and emergency departments].
Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in patients hospitalized in intensive care units and emergency departments and is associated with an increased morbidity and mortality. In critically ill patients, atrial fibrillation can cause hemodynamic instability and cardiogenic shock. The mechanisms and the management of atrial fibrillation are significantly different in critically ill patients compared to outpatients. ⋯ All patients with atrial fibrillation lasting more than 48 h should be evaluated for anticoagulation in order to reduce cardio-embolic complications. After recovering from the acute illness, atrial fibrillation persists only in a minority of patients.
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Med Klin Intensivmed Notfmed · Oct 2015
Review[Prognostic assessment as the basis for limiting therapy in unconscious patients after cardiopulmonary resuscitation].
The prognosis of patients who have been resuscitated after cardiac arrest is still unfavourable and long-term results have only slightly improved. As a consequence, intensivists are frequently confronted with the question of limiting active therapeutic efforts for patients in prolonged coma. The history of the patient and circumstances of the resuscitation are of limited value with regard to reliable decisions. ⋯ The decision to limit treatment can not be made on the basis of a single adverse prognostic sign, but requires a comprehensive clinical diagnostic assessment.