Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2014
Observational StudyThe relationship between physician case volume and in-hospital mortality of critically ill children with a diagnosis of pneumonia: A cross-sectional observational analytical study.
The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between physician case volume and the outcomes of critically ill children with pneumonia. ⋯ A higher physician's pneumonia case volume is associated with a lower length of hospital stay, lower in-hospital mortality rate, and lower hospitalization expenses among critically ill children with pneumonia.
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Bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) are common procedures in intensive care units; however, no contemporaneous safety and outcomes data have been reported, particularly for critically ill patients. ⋯ Bronchoscopy with BAL in critically ill patients with sepsis and ALI is well tolerated with low risk of complications, primarily related to manageable hypoxemia.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2014
Maternal organ donation and acute injuries in surviving children.
The purpose of this study is to test whether maternal deceased organ donation is associated with rates of subsequent acute injuries among surviving children after their mother's death. ⋯ Deceased organ donation was associated with a reduction in excess acute injuries among surviving children after their mother's death. An awareness of this positive association provides some reassurance about deceased organ donation programs.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2014
Pulse pressure variation is not a valid predictor of fluid responsiveness in patients with elevated left ventricular filling pressure.
The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the predictive ability of pulse pressure variation (PPV) for fluid responsiveness would be altered in patients with elevated left ventricular (LV) filling pressure. ⋯ None of the assessed preload indices including PPV were able to predict fluid responsiveness in patients with elevated LV filling pressure.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2014
Observational StudyPreadmission quality of life can predict mortality in intensive care unit-A prospective cohort study.
We sought to investigate whether preadmission quality of life could act as a predictor of mortality among patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ Preadmission quality of life, assessed by SF-36 and SF-12, is as good at predicting ICU, 30-, and 90-day mortality as APACHE II in patients admitted to the ICU for longer than 24 hours. This indicates that estimated preadmission quality of life, potentially available in the pre-ICU setting, could aid decision making regarding ICU admission and deserves more attention by those caring for critically ill patients.