Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2015
Multicenter StudySharing intimacy in "open" intensive care units.
Opening intensive care units (ICUs) is particularly relevant because of a new Swiss law granting the relatives of patients without decision-making capability a central role in medical decisions. The main objectives of the study were to assess how the presence of relatives is viewed by patients, health care providers, and relatives themselves and to evaluate the perception of the level of intrusiveness into the personal sphere during admission. ⋯ Relatives in these "open" ICUs share a great deal of intimacy with the patients. Their presence and the deriving benefits were seen as very positive by patients and relatives themselves. Skepticism, instead, prevailed among health care providers.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2015
Multicenter Study Observational StudySepsis may not be a risk factor for mortality in patients with acute kidney injury treated with continuous renal replacement therapy.
We aimed to study the clinical characteristics, courses, and outcomes of critically ill patients with septic acute kidney injury (AKI) treated with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in comparison with nonseptic AKI treated with CRRT. ⋯ Sepsis may not be a risk factor for mortality in patients with AKI whose condition has become severe enough to require CRRT.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2015
Multicenter Study Observational StudySerum melatonin levels are associated with mortality in severe septic patients.
Melatonin in septic patients has been scarcely explored and only in studies of small sample size (maximum 20 patients). Thus, the objective of this study was to determine whether serum melatonin levels are associated with severity, oxidant and inflammatory state, and mortality in a large series of septic patients. ⋯ The novel finding of our study was that serum melatonin levels are associated with mortality in septic patients.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2015
Multicenter Study Observational StudyPharmacist's review and outcomes: Treatment-enhancing contributions tallied, evaluated, and documented (PROTECTED-UK).
The purpose was to describe clinical pharmacist interventions across a range of critical care units (CCUs) throughout the United Kingdom, to identify CCU medication error rate and prescription optimization, and to identify the type and impact of each intervention in the prevention of harm and improvement of patient therapy. ⋯ This observational study demonstrated that both medication error resolution and pharmacist-led optimization rates were substantial. Almost 1 in 6 prescriptions required an intervention from the clinical pharmacist. The error rate was slightly lower than an earlier UK prescribing error study (EQUIP). Two thirds of the interventions were of moderate to high impact.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2015
Multicenter Study Observational StudyEvolution and prognosis of long intensive care unit stay patients suffering a deterioration: A multicenter study.
The prognosis of a patient who deteriorates during a prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay is difficult to predict. We analyze the prognostic value of the serialized Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and other variables in the early days after a complication and to build a new predictive score. ⋯ EPIPUSE model can predict mortality with a specificity and positive predictive value of 99% in some groups of patients.