Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2012
Time spent in the emergency department and mortality rates in severely injured patients admitted to the intensive care unit: An observational study.
The aim of this study was to identify the determinants of a shorter emergency department time (EDt) in patients with severe trauma (STPs) admitted to the intensive care unit and determine whether EDt influences mortality. ⋯ Patients in the ED with indicators of high trauma severity have a reduced EDt but a higher mortality rate. Advanced age increases both mortality and EDt. With the factors included in the model, EDt was not an independent factor for mortality in STPs.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2012
Effect of an antibiotic algorithm on the adequacy of empiric antibiotic therapy given by a medical emergency team.
Delayed administration of effective antimicrobial therapy increases mortality in patients with septic shock. Empiric antibiotic selection in this setting can be inaccurate. The objective of this study was to determine whether an antibiotic algorithm (AA) tailored to institutional resistance patterns improves the adequacy of antimicrobial therapy. ⋯ The use of an AA significantly improves the adequacy of empiric antimicrobial therapy.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2012
Outcomes for critically ill patients with HIV and severe sepsis in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy.
With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), sepsis has become a more frequent ICU diagnosis for patients with HIV infections. Yet, little is known about the etiologies of acute infections in critically ill patients with HIV and the factors that affect in-hospital mortality. ⋯ In this large cohort study, nosocomial/health care-associated infections were common in ICU patients with HIV and severe sepsis. Hospital mortality was associated with acute illness severity, but not clearly associated with variables related to HIV infection. Interventions that aim to prevent or more effectively treat nosocomial infections in critically ill patients with HIV may favorably impact clinical outcomes.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2012
Exercise testing in survivors of intensive care--is there a role for cardiopulmonary exercise testing?
The aims of this study were to assess the feasibility of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) for the early assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness in general adult intensive care unit (ICU) survivors and to characterize the pathophysiology of exercise limitation in this population. ⋯ Significant exercise limitation is evident in patients who have had critical illness. Etiology of exercise limitation appears multifactorial, with general deconditioning and muscle weakness as major contributory factors. Early CPET appears a practical method of assessing exercise capacity in ICU survivors. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing could be used to select patients who may benefit most from a targeted physical rehabilitation program, aid in exercise prescription, and help assess the response to intervention.
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Our laboratory receives many routine requests for plasma zinc analysis from intensive care units (ICUs) throughout Scotland. However, such requests are inappropriate because plasma zinc concentrations fall independently of nutritional deficiency during the systemic inflammatory response and, therefore, in critically ill patients. This survey was performed to investigate how widespread this practice was and if low plasma zinc concentrations were interpreted as zinc deficiency so triggering inappropriate initiation of zinc supplementation. ⋯ The finding of a low plasma zinc concentration in Intensive Therapy Unit patients is often misinterpreted as indicating zinc deficiency and inappropriately prompts zinc supplementation. There is no evidence base to support high-dose zinc supplementation in ICU patients. This practice is justifiable only if future randomized trials demonstrate a benefit.