Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2002
Multicenter StudyPrevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia: current practice in Canadian intensive care units.
To evaluate the current use of strategies to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and to identify interventions to target for quality-improvement initiatives. ⋯ Significant opportunities exist to improve VAP prevention practices in Canada. These strategies include decreasing the frequency of ventilator circuit changes, and increasing the use of non-invasive ventilation, subglottic secretion drainage endotracheal tubes, kinetic bed therapy, small bowel feedings, and elevation of the head of the bed.
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2002
The simultaneous measurement of ionized and total calcium and ionized and total magnesium in intensive care unit patients.
This study was undertaken to determine the relationship between total magnesium and ionized magnesium in critically ill and injured patients. ⋯ Based on our results we would recommend that intensivists directly measure ionized calcium whereas ionized magnesium can be inferred from total magnesium.