Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Nov 2003
Comparative StudyEvaluation of a new invasive continuous cardiac output monitoring system: the truCCOMS system.
To compare measurements of cardiac output using a new pulmonary artery catheter with those obtained using two "gold standard" methods: the periaortic transit time ultrasonic flow probe and the conventional pulmonary artery thermodilution. ⋯ The truCCOMS system is a reliable method of continuous cardiac output measurement in cardiac surgery patients.
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Intensive care medicine · Nov 2003
Intermittent high permeability hemofiltration in septic patients with acute renal failure.
High permeability hemofiltration (HP-HF) is a new renal replacement modality designed to facilitate the elimination of cytokines in sepsis. Clinical safety data on this new procedure is still lacking. This study investigates the effects of HP-HF on the protein and coagulation status as well as on cardiovascular hemodynamics in patients with septic shock. In addition, the clearance capacity for interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is analyzed. ⋯ High permeability hemofiltration is a new approach in the adjuvant therapy of sepsis that facilitates the elimination of cytokines. HP-HF alternating with conventional hemofiltration is well tolerated. Further studies are needed to analyze whether HP-HF is able to mitigate the course of sepsis.
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Intensive care medicine · Nov 2003
Case ReportsImmunoparalysis as a cause for invasive aspergillosis?
Aspergillus infections are among the most feared opportunistic infections in humans. These organisms are ubiquitous in nature; protection against infection is usually provided by anatomical barriers and by the immune system. Tissue invasion by Aspergillus is uncommon, occurring primarily in the setting of immunosuppression. ⋯ We describe four patients admitted to our ICU for various reasons, without a history of abnormal immune function, who developed invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. We hypothesise that the occurrence of these opportunistic infections in our patients may have been due to immunoparalysis, and that perhaps all ICU patients with sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) may be at risk for opportunistic infections such as aspergillosis as a result of this syndrome. Physicians treating critically ill patients in the ICU should be aware of the CARS/immunoparalysis syndrome and its potential to cause opportunistic infections, even in patients with normal immune function prior to ICU admission.
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Intensive care medicine · Nov 2003
Early patterns of static pressure-volume loops in ARDS and their relations with PEEP-induced recruitment.
Evaluation of low-flow pressure-volume loop at the bedside in ARDS, as an aid to assess recruitment produced by PEEP. ⋯ Pressure-volume loop at bedside confirmed that a low PEEP was sufficient to obtain recruitment in ARDS. This study also individualized a group of pulmonary ARDS patients exhibiting a markedly reduced compliance, in whom recruitment obtained by PEEP was limited.