Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2013
Effectiveness of end-expiratory lung volume measurements during the lung recruitment maneuver for patients with atelectasis.
The aim of this study was to determine whether the relative change in the end-expiratory lung volume (EELV) obtained by the recruitment maneuver (RM) can serve as an indicator of the change in the P/F ratio. ⋯ These results suggest that the ΔEELV obtained by intermittent stepwise RM can serve as an indicator of the change in the P/F ratio.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2013
A narrative-based study on communication by family members in intensive care unit.
This study investigates how informative stories are, as written by patients' families in an intensive care unit (ICU) guest book, in terms of families' emotional responses, needs, perceptions, and satisfaction with the quality of care supplied. ⋯ The study suggests that ICU guest books can be an effective and simple means of communication between the family, the patient, and the ICU staff. Families shared thoughts, feelings, or opinions, which were meant to be supportive for the patients or rewarding for the staff.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2013
Impact of bed availability on requesting and offering in-hospital intensive care unit transfers: a survey study of generalists and intensivists.
To evaluate whether bed availability affects a physician's decision to request or offer an intensive care unit (ICU) transfer. ⋯ There is high variability in the decision to request or offer ICU beds. There was not a significant association between bed availability and ICU transfer decisions.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2013
Prescribing nonopioids in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients.
We searched for factors independently associated with the prescription of multimodal (balanced) analgesia in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients. ⋯ In mechanically ventilated patients, the addition of nonopioids to opioids is mostly prescribed for patients with lower illness severity scores and who are able to self-rate their pain intensity. These findings suggest that the concept of multimodal analgesia must be promoted in the intensive care unit.
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The purpose of the study is to evaluate the incidence and hemodynamic consequences of right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in critically ill patients with H1N1 infection. ⋯ These observations emphasize the high incidence of cardiac dysfunction in patients with H1N1 influenza infections.