Intensive care medicine
-
Intensive care medicine · Aug 2015
Observational Studyβ-D-Glucan and Candida albicans germ tube antibody in ICU patients with invasive candidiasis.
To assess the performance of (1→3)-β-D-glucan (BDG) and Candida albicans germ tube antibody (CAGTA) for the diagnosis of invasive candidiasis (IC) in a prospective cohort of 107 unselected, non-neutropenic ICU patients. ⋯ Two consecutive BDG levels ≥80 pg/mL allowed discrimination among IC and high-grade colonization. Systemic antifungal therapy could not be monitored with biomarker kinetics, and BDG levels were not subject to interference by confounding factors in either colonized or infected patients or with low-grade colonization.
-
Intensive care medicine · Aug 2015
Physical activity, muscle strength, and exercise capacity 3 months after severe sepsis and septic shock.
To quantify the physical activity in daily life (PADL), muscle strength, and exercise capacity in the short and medium term in survivors of severe sepsis and septic shock. ⋯ Our results suggest that survivors of sepsis admitted to the ICU have a substantial reduction in physical activity, exercise capacity, and muscle strength compared to healthy subjects that persist even 3 months after hospital discharge.