Critical care clinics
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Low-dose hydrocortisone reduces the dose of vasopressors and hospital length of stay; it may also decrease the rate of hospital-acquired pneumonia and time on ventilator. No major side effect was reported, but glycemia and natremia should be monitored. ⋯ Erythropoietin did not enhance neurologic outcome of traumatic brain-injured patients; such treatment, however, could reduce the mortality in subgroups of patients. This review focuses mainly on glucocorticoids, which are the most extensively investigated treatments in hormone therapy.
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Erythropoietin (EPO) is a 34kD pleiotropic cytokine that was first identified as being essential for red blood cell (RBC) production. It is now recognized however that EPO is produced by many tissues. ⋯ Large clinical trials in the critically ill failed to demonstrate a role for EPO as an RBC transfusion sparing agent; however, improved clinical outcomes, attributable to EPO role in tissue protection are observed in critically ill trauma patients. Further research to confirm or refute these observations is required.
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Critical care clinics · Apr 2019
ReviewTherapeutic Opportunities for Hepcidin in Acute Care Medicine.
Iron homeostasis is often disrupted in acute disease with an increase in catalytic free iron leading to the formation of reactive oxygen species and subsequent tissue-specific oxidative damage. This article highlights the potential therapeutic benefit of exogenous hepcidin to prevent and treat iron-induced injury, specifically in the management of infection from enteric gram-negative bacilli or fungi, malaria, sepsis, acute kidney injury, trauma, transfusion, cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, and liver disease.
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Thyroid hormone is integral for normal function, yet during illness, circulating levels of the most active form (triiodothyronine [T3]) decline. Whether this is an adaptive response in critical illness or contributes to progressive disease has remained controversial. This review outlines the basis of thyroid hormone changes during critical illness and considers the evidence regarding T3 replacement.