Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2020
ReviewWhat every Intensivist should know about COVID-19 associated acute kidney injury.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication in critically ill patients with COVID-19 with a reported incidence ranging from <5% to >25%. Proposed aetiologies include hypovolemia, hemodynamic disturbance and inflammation but also specific factors like direct viral invasion, microvascular thrombosis, and altered regulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. To date, there are no confirmed specific therapies, and prevention and management of AKI should follow established guidelines. ⋯ In a pandemic, RRT practice is likely to be determined by the number of patients, availability of machines, consumables and staff, clinical expertise, and acceptable alternatives. Close collaboration between critical care and renal services is essential. In this article, we describe the epidemiology and pathophysiology of COVID-19 associated AKI, outline current management and suggest strategies to provide RRT during a pandemic when resources may be scarce.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2020
ReviewNational registries: Lessons learnt from quality improvement initiatives in intensive care.
National clinical quality registries (CQRs) are effective tools for improving the outcomes of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and are increasingly important as healthcare needs evolve. A high-quality ICU CQR is built from a foundation of common requirements and challenges. First, performance indicators of the structure, process, or outcomes of patient care should measure what is important. ⋯ Sixth, ICU CQRs must be dynamic to meet the needs of an evolving healthcare system and stakeholders. Finally, these lessons are far from comprehensive. Sharing perspectives on the development of ICU CQRs can help maximise their value as a powerful platform for informing policy development and improving the outcomes of patients admitted to the ICU.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2020
ReviewPatient-ventilator dyssynchronies: Are they all the same? A clinical classification to guide actions.
Patient ventilatory dyssynchrony (PVD) is a mismatch between the respiratory drive of the patient and ventilatory assistance. It is a complex event seen in almost all ventilated patients and at any ventilator mode, with uncertain significance and prognosis. ⋯ In the present review we aimed to summarize some clinical data on PVD, and to propose a clinical classification based on the type of PVD, from potentially innocuous to clearly harmful PVD, which could help clinicians in the decision-making process from adjusting ventilator settings to deeply sedate or paralyze the patient. Clearly, further studies are needed addressing risk factors, physiologic mechanisms and direct consequences of PVD in order to help clinicians to design effective and proven strategies at the bedside.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2020
ReviewData-driven ICU management: Using Big Data and algorithms to improve outcomes.
The digitalization of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) led to an increasing amount of clinical data being collected at the bedside. The term "Big Data" can be used to refer to the analysis of these datasets that collect enormous amount of data of different origin and format. Complexity and variety define the value of Big Data. ⋯ A close future effort should be done to validate the knowledge extracted from clinical Big Data and implement it in the clinic. In this article, we provide an introduction to Big Data in the ICU, from data collection and data analysis, to the main successful examples of prognostic, predictive and classification models based on ICU data. In addition, we focus on the main challenges that these models face to reach the bedside and effectively improve ICU care.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2020
ReviewNon-pharmacological interventions to reduce the incidence and duration of delirium in critically ill patients: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.
To compare non-pharmacological interventions in their ability to prevent delirium in critically ill patients, and find the optimal regimen for treatment. ⋯ Multi-component strategies are overall the optimal intervention techniques for preventing delirium and reducing ICU length of stay in critically ill patients by way of utilizing several interventions simultaneously. Additionally, family participation as a method of patient-centered care resulted in better outcomes for reducing the incidence of delirium.