Intensive care medicine
-
Intensive care medicine · Jun 2014
International guideline development for the determination of death.
This report summarizes the results of the first phase in the development of international guidelines for death determination, focusing on the biology of death and the dying process, developed by an invitational forum of international content experts and representatives of a number of professional societies. ⋯ Precise terminology was developed in order to improve clarity in death discussion and debate. Critical events in the physiological sequences leading to cessation of neurological and/or circulatory function were constructed. It was agreed that death determination is primarily clinical and recommendations for preconditions, confounding factors, minimum clinical standards and additional testing were made. A single operational definition of human death was developed: 'the permanent loss of capacity for consciousness and all brainstem functions, as a consequence of permanent cessation of circulation or catastrophic brain injury'. In order to complete the project, in the next phase, a broader group of international stakeholders will develop clinical practice guidelines, based on comprehensive reviews and grading of the existing evidence.
-
Intensive care medicine · Jun 2014
Blood glucose level and outcome after cardiac arrest: insights from a large registry in the hypothermia era.
The influence of blood glucose (BG) level during the post-resuscitation period after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is still debated. To evaluate the relationship between blood glucose level and outcome, we included the median glycemia and its maximal amplitude over the first 48 h following ICU admission in an analysis of outcome predictors. ⋯ We observed a relationship between high blood glucose level and outcome after cardiac arrest. These results suggest the need to test a strategy combining both control of glycemia and minimization of glycemic variations for its ability to improve post-resuscitation care.
-
Intensive care medicine · Jun 2014
Letter Observational StudyCost analysis of miniaturized ECMO in H1N1-related ARDS managed by a single caregiver.