Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Jun 1998
Editorial Comment Comparative StudyOutcome of septic shock: location, location, location.
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Critical care medicine · Jun 1998
Editorial CommentIs there an answer to preventing unplanned extubations?
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Critical care medicine · Jun 1998
Clinical TrialA rapid assay for the detection of circulating D-dimer is associated with clinical outcomes among critically ill patients.
To determine whether the results of a rapid, semiquantitative assay for the detection of circulating D-dimer in whole blood (SRDD assay) are associated with the occurrence of clinical outcomes among critically ill patients. ⋯ Our preliminary investigation suggests that the results from a rapid whole blood assay for the semiquantitative detection of circulating D-dimer are associated with clinical outcomes among patients admitted to a medical ICU. In addition, the use of D-dimer to identify the presence of active intravascular thrombosis may identify patients likely to benefit from antithrombotic therapies in the ICU setting.
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Critical care medicine · Jun 1998
Comparative StudyValue of the venous-arterial PCO2 gradient to reflect the oxygen supply to demand in humans: effects of dobutamine.
To test the value of venous-arterial PCO2 gradient (deltaPCO2) measurements to reflect the adequacy of cardiac index (CI) to oxygen demand in patients submitted to rapid changes of CI and oxygen demand. ⋯ deltaPCO2 can be reliably used at the bedside for informing on the adequacy of CI with respect to a given metabolic condition, and particularly for detecting changes in oxygen demand (e.g., the changes accompanying drug-induced changes in CI). In this regard, deltaPCO2, together with O2 ER and SVO2, can help to assess the adequacy of CI to global oxygen demand.