Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2012
Earthquake-related injuries: evaluation with multidetector computed tomography and digital radiography of 1491 patients.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the common features of earthquake-related injuries using radiography and computed tomography. ⋯ The Sichuan earthquake most commonly resulted in extremity fractures, but there was a high incidence of injuries to multiple body areas. Head, abdominal, and thoracic injuries and age older than 64 years all were significant risk factors for earthquake mortality.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2012
Intensive care admissions and outcome at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.
An intensive care unit (ICU) is for critically ill patients who are likely to benefit from the expertise care provided. The outcome is dependent on the available human and material resources. The University of Calabar Teaching Hospital is a 410-bed hospital. ⋯ Ventilator malfunction, power failure, and oxygen exhaustion led to the unfavorable outcome in patients who were ventilated. In pediatric patients, the mortality rate was 45.5%. Early identification and referral of critically ill patients from the wards, availability of ventilator with battery backup, and maintenance of functioning equipment would reduce the high mortality rate recorded in the study.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2012
Manual compression of the abdomen to assess expiratory flow limitation during mechanical ventilation.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the manual compression of the abdomen (MCA) during expiration as a simple bedside method to detect expiratory flow limitation (EFL) during daily clinical practice of mechanical ventilation (MV). ⋯ Manual compression of the abdomen provides a simple, rapid, and safe bedside reliable maneuver to detect and quantify EFL during mechanical ventilation.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2012
Cerebral perfusion pressure, microdialysis biochemistry, and clinical outcome in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hematomas.
The aim of our study was to investigate the roles of cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and microdialysis marker values on the clinical outcome of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hematoma. ⋯ The L/P ratio and CPP were found to be related to patient outcome. In addition, a CPP greater than 75.46 mm Hg and an L/P ratio lower than 37.40 mm Hg were related to a favorable outcome.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2012
Ventilator-associated pneumonia is an important risk factor for mortality after major cardiac surgery.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the main infectious complication in cardiac surgery patients and is associated with an important increase in morbidity and mortality. The aim of our study was to analyze the impact of VAP on mortality excluding other comorbidities and to study its etiology and the risk factors for its development. ⋯ The development of VAP after CPB is the most important independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality. Identification of effective strategies for the prevention of VAP is needed.