Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2014
Multicenter StudyAre written advance directives helpful to guide end-of-life therapy in the intensive care unit? A retrospective matched-cohort study.
The purpose of the study was to determine whether treatment preferences in patients' advance directives (ADs) are associated with life-supporting treatments received during end-of-life care in the intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ Patients with ADs are less likely to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation but otherwise receive similar life-sustaining treatments compared to matched patients without ADs. More research is needed to explore reasons for potential noncompliance with patient preferences.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2014
Predictors of extraventricular drain-associated bacterial ventriculitis.
Bacterial ventriculitis (BV) may develop in patients requiring external ventricular drains (EVDs). The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of EVD-associated BV onset. ⋯ An association exists between CSF sampling frequency and the development of EVD-associated BV. Larger prospective studies should be aimed at identifying causal relationships between these variables.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2014
Does high-dose vasopressor therapy in medical intensive care patients indicate what we already suspect?
This study was conducted to determine the association between vasopressor requirement and outcome in medical intensive care patients in an environment where treatment is not withdrawn. ⋯ The requirement for high-dose vasopressor therapy at any time during ICU admission was associated with a very high mortality rate in the ICU and the hospital.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2014
Consideration of additional factors in Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score.
The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, originally developed to assess organ failure status, is widely used as a prognostic indicator in intensive care unit patients. Additional prognostic factors, such as age and comorbidities, may complement the predictive performance of the SOFA. ⋯ The performance of the SOFA score to predict hospital mortality can be improved by considering age and comorbidity factors.