Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Feb 2000
Comparative StudyThe distribution of costs of care in mechanically ventilated patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
To delineate the costs of care of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and respiratory failure and to compare them with those of other mechanically ventilated patients. ⋯ Costs of ICU and non-ICU respiratory care for patients with COPD are higher than costs of care for other mechanically ventilated patients. Although the increased cost of bronchodilators and oximetry in these patients may serve as target areas for reductions in respiratory care costs, it may also be true that these modalities of therapy and management are necessary and need to be used with even greater intensity to achieve better outcomes. The predominant contributions of bed and pharmacy costs in all of our patients with respiratory failure support research efforts addressing these aspects of care.
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Critical care medicine · Feb 2000
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialMedical students can learn the basic application, analytic, evaluative, and psychomotor skills of critical care medicine.
To determine whether fourth-year medical students can learn the basic analytic, evaluative, and psychomotor skills needed to initially manage a critically ill patient. ⋯ Fourth-year medical students without a CCM elective do not possess the basic cognitive and psychomotor skills necessary to initially manage critically ill patients. After an appropriate 1-month CCM elective, students' thinking and application skills required to initially manage critically ill patients improved markedly, as demonstrated by an OSCE using a live simulated "patient" and manikin.
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Critical care medicine · Feb 2000
Long-term outcomes of burned children after in-hospital cardiac arrest.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in severely burned patients experiencing cardiac arrest (CA) has been considered by some as futile. The objective of this article is to report predisposing factors and the outcomes of burned children experiencing in-hospital CA at our institution. ⋯ In this study, 50% of the burned children experiencing CA are long-term survivors. We suggest that all burned children with CA should be afforded cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
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Critical care medicine · Feb 2000
Optimal level of pressure support ventilation for recovery from diaphragmatic fatigue in rabbits.
To determine whether there is an optimal level of pressure support ventilation (PSV) for recovery from acute diaphragmatic fatigue. ⋯ There is an optimal range of PSV assist level to improve recovery from diaphragmatic fatigue. Recovery was hampered not only by inadequate PSV but also by excessive PSV.