Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Apr 2012
Relationship between the timing of administration of IgM and IgA enriched immunoglobulins in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock and the outcome: a retrospective analysis.
Because the use of IgM and IgA enriched polyclonal intravenous immunoglobulins (eIg) is a standard of care in critically ill patients admitted to our intensive care unit (ICU) with the diagnosis of severe sepsis or septic shock, we investigated if the delay from the onset of severe sepsis and septic shock and their administration could influence the outcome. ⋯ The efficacy of eIg, being maximal in early phases of severe sepsis and/or septic shock, is probably time dependent.
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Journal of critical care · Apr 2012
Physiologic determinants of prolonged mechanical ventilation in patients after major surgery.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the physiologic determinants of ventilator dependency in patients who underwent major surgery. ⋯ Difficult-to-wean patients after major surgery have overall a limited diaphragm endurance time, in particular, FW breathe very close to the fatigue threshold, and they adopt a rapid shallow breathing respiratory pattern to avoid crossing this threshold.
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Journal of critical care · Apr 2012
Procalcitonin level as an aid for the diagnosis of bacterial infections following pediatric cardiac surgery.
The aim of the present study was to determine if blood procalcitonin can serve as an aid to differentiate between bacterial and nonbacterial cause of fever in children after cardiac surgery. ⋯ During the critical early and late periods after cardiac surgery in children, procalcitonin level may help to differentiate patients with bacterial infection from patients in whom the fever is secondary to nonbacterial infectious causes.