Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2018
Implementation of a risk-stratified opioid weaning protocol in a pediatric intensive care unit.
Opioids are important in the care of critically ill children. However, their use is associated with complications including delirium, dependence, withdrawal, and bowel dysfunction. Our aim was to implement a risk-stratified opioid weaning protocol to reduce the duration of opioids without increasing the incidence of withdrawal. ⋯ We implemented a risk-stratified opioid weaning protocol for critically ill children that resulted in reduction in opioid exposure without an increase in withdrawal. There was no difference in the LOS.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2018
Multicenter StudyEffects of polymyxin B hemoperfusion on hemodynamics and prognosis in septic shock patients.
We designed this study to examine the clinical effects of polymyxin B hemoperfusion (PMX-HP) in septic shock patients. ⋯ PMX-HP may have potential benefits for hemodynamic and prognostic outcomes in septic shock patients with intra-abdominal or gram-negative bacterial infection.
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Sepsis is a life-threatening medical condition, affecting approximately 26 million people worldwide every year. The disease is a continuum, marked by dysregulated inflammation and hemodynamic instability leading to shock, multi-system organ dysfunction, and death. Over the past decades, there has been a focus on the early identification and treatment of sepsis primarily with bundled and goal directed therapy. ⋯ Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that plays a role in mediating inflammation through antioxidant activities and is also important in the synthesis of cortisol, catecholamines, and vasopressin, which are key mediators in the disease process. Emerging evidence provides cursory data in support of the administration of vitamin C in addition to standard therapy to ameliorate the effects of inflammation and improve hemodynamic stability in patients with sepsis and septic shock; however, further evidence is needed to support this practice. This review discusses the physiologic role of vitamin C as well as the recent literature and evidence for the use of vitamin C in patients presenting with sepsis.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2018
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyIs patient length of stay associated with intensive care unit characteristics?
We described the association between Intensive care units (ICU) characteristics and ICU Length of stay (LoS), after correcting for patient characteristics. We also compared the predictive performances of models including either patient and ICU characteristics or only patient characteristics. ⋯ After correcting for patient characteristics, we found statistically significant associations between ICU LoS and six ICU characteristics, mainly describing staff availability. Furthermore, we conclude that including ICU characteristics did not significantly improve ICU LoS prediction.