Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2008
Reduced heart rate multiscale entropy predicts death in critical illness: a study of physiologic complexity in 285 trauma patients.
We have shown previously that reduced integer heart rate variability (HRVi) predicts death in trauma patients. We hypothesized that heart rate multiscale entropy (MSE), a potential measurement of physiologic complexity, would predict death more robustly than HRVi. ⋯ Multiscale entropy and HRVi measured within the first 24 hours each identify trauma patients at increased risk of subsequent hospital death.
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2008
Case ReportsDiscrepancy between inferior vena cava and right atrial oxygen saturations as a sign of ischemia in the mesenteric circulation.
We describe the case of a 72-year-old patient admitted to intensive care following abdominal surgery. Venous oxygen saturations from the right atrium and superior vena cava (SVC) showed large variation due to ongoing ischemia in the mesentric circulation. If trends in venous oxygen saturation are to be followed, serial samples must be taken from the same central venous catheter (CVC) port.
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2008
District nurses' attitudes toward patient consent: the case of mechanical ventilation on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients: results from a French national survey.
In France, a recent law emphasizes patient rights and prohibits unwanted therapies in end-of-life care. As end-of-life home care is increasing, we aimed to assess French district nurses' attitudes toward terminally ill patients' autonomy. ⋯ A significant part of French district nurses may have a disturbing propensity to support intubation and tracheotomy with insufficient attention paid to the patient's will. Further research should investigate potential causal factors (such as increased workload) as well as sex-related attitudes in nurse-patient relationship.
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Journal of critical care · Sep 2008
Risk factors for the development of early-onset delirium and the subsequent clinical outcome in mechanically ventilated patients.
The aim of the study was to investigate the risk factors of developing early-onset delirium in mechanically ventilated patients and determine the subsequent clinical outcomes. ⋯ Mechanically ventilated patients with sepsis or hypoalbuminemia were more vulnerable to develop delirium in their early stay in the ICU. Early-onset delirium is associated with prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation and higher incidence of nosocomial pneumonia, leading to a higher mortality.