Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2020
ReviewEthical content of expert recommendations for end-of-life decision-making in intensive care units: A systematic review.
Intensive care unit health care professionals must be skilled in providing end-of-life care. Crucial in this kind of care is end-of-life decision-making, which is a complex process involving a variety of stakeholders and requiring adequate justification. The aim of this systematic review is to analyse papers tackling ethical issues in relation to end-of-life decision-making in intensive care units. It explores the ethical positions, arguments and principles. ⋯ We have demonstrated that recommendations and guidelines designed specifically by intensive or critical care experts for intensive care units promote similar ethical positions, with minimal dissenting positions.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2020
Risk of major bleeding associated with aspirin use in non-surgical critically ill patients receiving therapeutic anticoagulation.
We aimed to evaluate the risk of major bleeding in non-surgical critically ill patients who received aspirin in conjunction with therapeutic anticoagulation (concomitant therapy) compared to those who received therapeutic anticoagulation alone. ⋯ In non-surgical critically ill patients receiving therapeutic anticoagulation, concomitant use of aspirin was not associated with an increased risk of bleeding or in-hospital mortality.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2020
Observational StudyClinical presentation and initial management critically ill patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in Brescia, Italy.
An ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 that started in Hubei, China has resulted in massive strain on the healthcare infrastructure in Lombardy, Italy. The management of these patients is still evolving. ⋯ ICU patients with COVID-19 frequently have hypertension. Many could be managed with noninvasive ventilation, despite the risk of aerosolization. The use of a severity scale augmented clinician management.