Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2018
ReviewLeptospirosis: Report from the task force on tropical diseases by the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine.
Leptospirosis is a zoonosis caused by a gram negative aerobic spirochete of the genus Leptospira. It is acquired by contact with urine or reproductive fluids from infected animals, or by inoculation from contaminated water or soil. The disease has a global distribution, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions that have a humid, rainy climate and is also common in travelers returning from these regions. ⋯ The appropriate diagnostic test depends on the stage of the disease and consists of direct and indirect detection methods and cultures. Severely ill patients need to be monitored in an ICU with appropriate anti-bacterial agents and early, aggressive and effective organ support. Antibiotic therapy consists of penicillins, macrolides or third generation cephalosporins.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2018
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyA randomized controlled trial of one bag vs. two bag system of fluid delivery in children with diabetic ketoacidosis: Experience from a developing country.
To compare one vs. two bag system with respect to blood glucose variability (BGV), time for resolution of acidosis and incidence of hypoglycemia, hypokalemia, and cerebral edema in children with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). ⋯ The one and two bag systems were similar to each other with respect to BGV, incidence of complications and time to resolution of acidosis.
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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.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2018
ReviewSpatial methods for evaluating critical care and trauma transport: A scoping review.
The objective of this scoping review is to inform future applications of spatial research regarding transportation of critically ill patients. We hypothesized that this review would reveal gaps and limitations in the current research regarding use of spatial methods for critical care and trauma transport research. ⋯ There is a gap between the availability of spatial tools and their usage for analyzing and improving medical transportation. The adoption of geospatially guided transport decisions can meaningfully impact healthcare expenditures, especially in healthcare systems looking to strategically control expenditures with minimum impact on patient outcomes.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2018
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyHealth-related quality of life after obstetric intensive care admission: Comparison with the general population.
To examine health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in obstetric patients after intensive care discharge, with comparison to age-appropriate reference values from the general Finnish female population. ⋯ The baseline HRQoL of study population was lower than that of the general population, but after six months, the mean values were comparable to reference value. However, one in five patients still experienced impaired QOL at follow-up.