Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Apr 2002
Comparative Study Retracted PublicationDoes coagulation differ between elderly and younger patients undergoing cardiac surgery?
Multiple improvements allow cardiac surgery in an increasingly older population. It is still unclear whether perioperative hemostasis differs between elderly and younger patients. ⋯ Elderly cardiac surgery patients already showed moderately altered coagulation prior to surgery. Thus elderly patients may be at risk of developing postoperative alterations in hemostasis on the ICU. The exact reasons for the impaired coagulation in the elderly remains to be determined.
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Intensive care medicine · Nov 2001
Retracted PublicationDoes age affect liver function and the hepatic acute phase response after major abdominal surgery?
The liver plays a key role in the inflammatory response during major surgery or infection. The influence of age on liver function and hepatic acute phase protein (APP) synthesis should be serially studied in elderly patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. ⋯ Our observations suggest that the postoperative hepatic acute phase response is reduced in elderly patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. The decreased release of liver-synthesized APPs was associated with an impaired hepatocyte function and a disturbance of hepatocellular integrity. Further work needs to be done to determine whether these findings might have an impact on the incidence of postoperative septic complications or prognostic significance for survival in aged patients.
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Intensive care medicine · Nov 1998
Comparative Study Clinical Trial Retracted PublicationPoint-of-care (POC) measurement of coagulation after cardiac surgery.
Two different point-of-care (POC) systems for the monitoring of coagulation variables at the bedside were evaluated with regard to practicability, accuracy and costs. ⋯ Both POC analyzers may reduce the potential for preanalytical errors associated with coagulation measurements at the central laboratory, hasten TAT significantly and may improve patient therapy by reducing inappropriate administration of blood products.
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Intensive care medicine · Feb 1998
Retracted PublicationVolume replacement strategies on intensive care units: results from a postal survey.
To assess volume replacement strategies on intensive care units (ICUs) in Germany. ⋯ The kind of volume therapy differs widely among the different ICUs. This questionnaire supported the supposition that no standards exist for volume therapy in intensive care patients. New results concerning the abuse of albumin in the critically ill have not yet influenced strategies of volume replacement.
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Intensive care medicine · May 1997
Retracted PublicationDoes continuous heparinization influence platelet function in the intensive care patient?
To study the influence of continuous administration of heparin on platelet function in intensive care patients. ⋯ Continuous administration of heparin with an average dose of approximately 500 U/h did not negatively influence platelet function in the trauma patients. Recovery from reduced platelet function in the sepsis group was not affected by continuous heparinization. Thus, continuous heparinization with this dose appears to be safe with regard to platelet function in the intensive care patient.