Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialA weaning protocol administered by critical care nurses for the weaning of patients from mechanical ventilation.
The primary objective of this clinical trial of patients on mechanical ventilation was to determine if a weaning protocol implemented solely by nurses could reduce the weaning time relative to usual care (UC). ⋯ The weaning protocol administered by the nurses was safe and reduced the weaning time from mechanical ventilation in patients who were recovering from respiratory failure.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2012
Exploring the capacity to ambulate after a period of prolonged mechanical ventilation.
The purposes were to assess the functional recovery of those who survived a prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay by reporting the proportion who were able to ambulate independently at hospital discharge and also to examine if the time duration between admission and when the patient first stood impacted on their capacity to ambulate at discharge. ⋯ After a prolonged ICU admission, more than 50% of patients were unable to ambulate independently by hospital discharge, with the time between admission and first stand, being an important predictor of this outcome.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2012
Beneficial role of endogenous immunoglobulin subclasses and isotypes in septic shock.
There is increasing evidence on the relationship between endogenously produced immunoglobulins and the clinical outcome in septic shock (SS). ⋯ Our study evidenced that, in addition to IgG1, other major endogenous immunoglobulins isotypes and subclasses seem to play a beneficial role in SS.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2012
Clinical TrialNonpharmacologic approach to minimizing shivering during surface cooling: a proof of principle study.
This study had 2 objectives: (1) to quantify the metabolic response to physical cooling in febrile patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and (2) to provide proof for the hypothesis that the efficiency of external cooling and the subsequent shivering response are influenced by site and temperature of surface cooling pads. ⋯ Our results identify the hazards of surface cooling in febrile critically ill patients and support the concept that optimization of cooling pad temperature and position may improve cooling efficiency and reduce shivering.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2012
Being overweight or obese is associated with decreased mortality in critically ill patients: a retrospective analysis of a large regional Italian multicenter cohort.
To describe the epidemiology of obesity in a large cohort of intensive care unit (ICU) patients and study its impact on outcomes. ⋯ In this cohort, overweight and obese patients had a reduced risk of ICU death. Being underweight or morbidly obese was associated with an increased risk of death in some subgroups of patients.