Journal of critical care
-
Journal of critical care · Dec 2020
Review Meta AnalysisWhat factors predict length of stay in the intensive care unit? Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Studies have shown that a small percentage of ICU patients have prolonged length of stay (LoS) and account for a large proportion of resource use. Therefore, the identification of prolonged stay patients can improve unit efficiency. In this study, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to understand the risk factors of ICU LoS. ⋯ This work suggested a list of risk factors that should be considered in prediction models for ICU LoS, as follows: severity scores, mechanical ventilation, hypomagnesemia, delirium, malnutrition, infection, trauma, red blood cells, and PaO2:FiO2. Our findings can be used by prediction models to improve their predictive capacity of prolonged stay patients, assisting in resource allocation, quality improvement actions, and benchmarking analysis.
-
Journal of critical care · Dec 2020
Case ReportsReflux events detected by multichannel bioimpedance smart feeding tube during high flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy and enteral feeding: First case report.
The use of high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen therapy is common in patients with respiratory distress to prevent intubation or ensure successful extubation. However, these critical patients also need medical nutritional support and practitioners are often reluctant to prescribe oral or enteral feeding, leading to a decrease in energy and protein intake. ⋯ A new technology detecting the presence and duration of gastro-esophageal reflux and preventing aspiration in real-time has been developed and our case shows how HFNC oxygen therapy exposes patients to significantly more reflux events as compared to mechanical ventilation. This is the first description of this technique observed in critical care.
-
Journal of critical care · Dec 2020
Observational StudyEarly mortality in critical illness - A descriptive analysis of patients who died within 24 hours of ICU admission.
To describe patients who die within 24 h of ICU admission in order to better optimize care delivery. ⋯ Patients who die within 24 h constitute one third of ICU deaths. Age, acuity, admission from the ED and surgical, neurologic or trauma-related admission diagnosis correlate with early death.
-
Journal of critical care · Dec 2020
Observational StudyCOVID-19 in critically ill patients in North Brabant, the Netherlands: Patient characteristics and outcomes.
Since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, countries are overwhelmed by critically ill Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. As ICU capacity becomes limited we characterized critically ill COVID-19 patients in the Netherlands. ⋯ The survival rate of COVID-19 critically ill patients in our population is considerably better than previously reported. Thrombotic complications are commonly found and merit clinical attention.
-
Journal of critical care · Dec 2020
ReviewLinking of global intensive care (LOGIC): An international benchmarking in critical care initiative.
Benchmarking is a common and effective method for measuring and analyzing ICU performance. With the existence of national registries, objective information can now be obtained to allow benchmarking of ICU care within and between countries. ⋯ We showed large differences in the utilization of ICU as well as resources and in outcomes. Despite the need for careful interpretation of differences due to variation in definitions and limited risk adjustment, LOGIC is a growing worldwide initiative that allows access to insightful epidemiologic data from ICUs in multiple databases and registries.