Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · May 1998
Review Comparative StudyComplications of sedation with midazolam in the intensive care unit and a comparison with other sedative regimens.
To describe the various complications that have been reported with use of midazolam for sedation in the intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ Continuous infusion midazolam provides effective sedation in the ICU with few complications overall, especially when the dose is titrated.
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Critical care medicine · May 1998
ReviewPortable devices used to detect endotracheal intubation during emergency situations: a review.
To review the operational characteristics of commercial devices used to detect endotracheal intubation; and to identify an ideal device for detecting endotracheal intubation in emergency situations, especially in the prehospital setting during cardiac arrest. ⋯ Although no clinical comparative study of commercial devices to detect endotracheal intubation exists, the syringe device (TubeChek) has most of the characteristics necessary for a device to be considered ideal in emergency situations in the prehospital setting. It is simple, inexpensive, easy to handle and operate, disposable, does not require maintenance, gives reliable results for patients with and without cardiac arrest, and can be used for almost all age groups. The device may yield false-negative results, most commonly in the presence of copious secretions and in cases of accidental endobronchial intubation. Regardless of the device used, clinical judgment and direct visualization of the endotracheal tube in the trachea are required to unequivocally confirm proper endotracheal tube placement.
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Critical care medicine · May 1998
Comparative StudyPredictive value of severity scoring systems: comparison of four models in Tunisian adult intensive care units.
To compare the performance of four severity scoring systems: the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, the new versions of the Mortality Prediction Model (MPM0 and MPM24), and the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II. ⋯ Despite an overall good discrimination, APACHE II, MPM0, MPM24, and SAPS II showed a less satisfactory calibration in our Tunisian sample of ICU patients. Part of the models inaccuracy could be related to quality of care problems in our ICUs, but this issue needs further analysis.
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Critical care medicine · May 1998
Comparative StudyAminoguanidine attenuates endotoxin-induced acute lung injury in rabbits.
To assess the effect of aminoguanidine, a selective inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, on endotoxin-induced acute lung injury in rabbits. ⋯ Aminoguanidine given intravenously before and after endotoxin attenuated endotoxin-induced lung injury in rabbits. These findings suggest that inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibition may be useful in the treatment of endotoxin-induced lung injury. However, further studies are required to determine the optimal dosage of aminoguanidine, when the inhibitor is given alone as therapy after lung injury.
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Critical care medicine · May 1998
Comparative StudyA comparison among animal models of acute lung injury.
To compare four widely used animal models of acute lung injury and to determine the changes in physiologic variables associated with each model. ⋯ The surfactant depletion and hydrochloric acid instillation models produce acute hypoxemia in an otherwise hemodynamically stable animal. A brief endotoxin infusion provides a model for cardiovascular instability and pulmonary hypertension but fails to produce hypoxemia in the pig. The oleic acid infusion creates a model of marked cardiovascular instability, pulmonary hypertension, and profound hypoxemia. However, none of the acute lung injury models described was associated with the production of tumor necrosis factor.