Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Aug 2006
The effect of normal saline resuscitation on vital organ blood flow in septic sheep.
To study the effect of resuscitation with normal saline on vital organ blood flow and renal function in sepsis. ⋯ In hyperdynamic sepsis resuscitation with normal saline increases central venous pressure, cardiac output, mesenteric blood flow, urine output, creatinine clearance, and fractional excretion of sodium despite a lack of effect on renal blood flow. These effects, however, are transient.
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Intensive care medicine · Aug 2006
Multicenter StudySedation and analgesia in German intensive care units: how is it done in reality? Results of a patient-based survey of analgesia and sedation.
This study carried out the first patient-oriented survey on the practice of analgesia and sedation in German intensive care units, examining whether the goals of early spontaneous breathing and awake, cooperative patients are achieved. ⋯ The choice of agents and techniques for analgesia and sedation in the intensive care unit thus follows the German guidelines. The fact that the patients were more deeply sedated than intended by the therapist in all phases of sedation may be due to the low use of sedation scales and clinical practice guidelines or to the lack of training in using these techniques.
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Intensive care medicine · Aug 2006
Comparative StudySoluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1: a biomarker for bacterial meningitis.
To evaluate whether soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (sTREM-1) in CSF can serve as a biomarker for the presence of bacterial meningitis and outcome in patients with this disease. ⋯ Measuring sTREM-1 in CSF may be a valuable new additional approach to accurately diagnose bacterial meningitis and identify patients at high risk for adverse outcome. Therefore a prospective study of sTREM-1 as a biomarker in bacterial meningitis is needed.
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Intensive care medicine · Aug 2006
Low incidence of nephropathy in surgical ICU patients receiving intravenous contrast: a retrospective analysis.
Various studies have documented a markedly high incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN). Most of these studies were conducted in patients not in the ICU. In ICU patients intravenous contrast may be withheld for fear of CIN. We investigated the incidence of CIN in ICU patients. ⋯ CT with modern contrast is associated with a very low incidence of nephropathy in predominantly nondiabetic surgical ICU patients. Intravenous contrast should only rarely be withheld in these patients.