Journal of critical care
-
Journal of critical care · Aug 2014
Review Historical ArticleHistory of brain death as death: 1968 to the present.
The concept of brain death was formulated in 1968 in the landmark report A Definition of Irreversible Coma. While brain death has been widely accepted as a determination of death throughout the world, many of the controversies that surround it have not been settled. Some may be rooted in a misconstruction about the history of brain death. ⋯ Since 1968, the concept of brain death has been extensively analyzed, debated, and reworked. Still there remains much misunderstanding and confusion, especially in the general public. In this comprehensive review, I will trace the evolution of the definition of brain death as death from 1968 to the present, providing background, history and context.
-
Journal of critical care · Aug 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyComparison of invasive and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation delivered by means of a helmet for weaning of patients from mechanical ventilation.
The effectiveness of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation delivered by helmet (H-NPPV) as a weaning approach in patients with acute respiratory failure is unclear. ⋯ H-NPPV was well tolerated and effective in patients who were difficult to wean.
-
Journal of critical care · Aug 2014
Multicenter StudyDuration of oral endotracheal intubation is associated with dysphagia symptoms in acute lung injury patients.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate demographic and clinical factors associated with self-reported dysphagia after oral endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation in patients with acute lung injury (ALI). ⋯ In ALI survivors, patient-reported, postexubation dysphagia at hospital discharge was significantly associated with upper gastrointestinal comorbidity and a longer duration of oral endotracheal intubation during the first 6 days of intubation.
-
Journal of critical care · Aug 2014
Value of clinical pulmonary infection score in critically ill children as a surrogate for diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Although the modified clinical pulmonary infection score (mCPIS) has been endorsed by national organizations, only a very few pediatric studies have assessed it for the diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). ⋯ The mCPIS had a clinically acceptable performance, and it can be a helpful screening tool for VAP diagnosis. An mCPIS lower than 6 was highly able in distinguishing patients without VAP. Despite its high sensitivity and negative predictive value of this score, further studies are required to assess the use of mCPIS in guiding therapeutic decisions.
-
Journal of critical care · Aug 2014
ReviewAutomated pupillometer for monitoring the critically ill patient: A critical appraisal.
Abnormalities in the pupillary light reflex are an important prognostic indicator for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Manual pupillary examination is confounded by interobserver discrepancies and errors in detecting a reflex under certain conditions. The automated pupillometer is a computer-based infrared digital video device that can obtain objective measurements of pupillary size and reactivity. ⋯ Pupillometric measurements had better precision and reproducibility compared with the manual pupillary examination. Based on these data, we conclude that pupillometry monitoring can serve as an important tool in the ICU. Further large scale studies on patients in the neurocritical care unit and medical ICU are needed to support the routine use of automated pupillometry.