Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Jun 2013
Multicenter StudyData utilization for medical decision making at the time of patient admission to ICU.
Information overload in electronic medical records can impede providers' ability to identify important clinical data and may contribute to medical error. An understanding of the information requirements of ICU providers will facilitate the development of information systems that prioritize the presentation of high-value data and reduce information overload. Our objective was to determine the clinical information needs of ICU physicians, compared to the data available within an electronic medical record. ⋯ Physicians use a limited number of clinical information concepts at the time of patient admission to the ICU. The electronic medical record contains an abundance of unused data. Better electronic data management strategies are needed, including the priority display of frequently used clinical concepts within the electronic medical record, to improve the efficiency of ICU care.
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Clinicians' perceptions of scarcity influence rationing of critical care resources, which may lead to serious adverse outcomes for patients who are denied access. We sought to better understand the phenomenon of scarcity in the critical care setting. ⋯ ICU clinicians' perceptions of scarcity may lead to rationing of critical care resources. We found that nonmedical factors strongly influenced prioritization activity, both for admission and discharge. Although scarcity of ICU beds might be mitigated by process improvements such as patient flow or proactive communication, our findings highlight the importance of a fair process for inevitable limit setting at the bedside.
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Critical care medicine · Jun 2013
Multiple organ dysfunction after return of spontaneous circulation in postcardiac arrest syndrome.
Recent guidelines for the treatment of postcardiac arrest syndrome recommend optimization of vital organ perfusion after return of spontaneous circulation to reduce the risk of postresuscitation multiple organ injury. However, the prevalence of extracerebral multiple organ dysfunction in postcardiac arrest patients and its association with in-hospital mortality remain unclear. ⋯ The results of this study support the hypothesis that extracerebral organ dysfunction is common and associated with mortality in postcardiac arrest syndrome. This association appears to be driven by postresuscitation hemodynamic dysfunction and oxygenation impairment. Further research is needed to determine the value of hemodynamic and oxygenation optimization as a part of treatment strategies for patients with postcardiac arrest syndrome.
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Critical care medicine · Jun 2013
Benefit of immediate beta-blocker therapy on mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.
Despite the recommendations to initiate β-blockade to all patients with an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, data concerning the timing of the administration of β-blockers are controversially discussed. In view of these controversies, we analyzed the effect of immediate vs. delayed β-blockade on all-cause mortality of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in the Lower Austrian Myocardial Infarction Network. ⋯ Immediate β-blocker administration in the emergency setting is associated with a reduction of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and seems to be superior to a delayed β-blockade in our patient cohort.
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Critical care medicine · Jun 2013
Estimation of patient's inspiratory effort from the electrical activity of the diaphragm.
To calculate an index (termed Pmusc/Eadi index) relating the pressure generated by the respiratory muscles (Pmusc) to the electrical activity of the diaphragm (Eadi), during assisted mechanical ventilation and to assess if the Pmusc/Eadi index is affected by the type and level of ventilator assistance. The Pmusc/Eadi index was also used to measure the patient's inspiratory effort from Eadi without esophageal pressure. ⋯ Pmusc is tightly related to Eadi, by a proportionality coefficient that we termed Pmusc/Eadi index, stable within each patient under different conditions of ventilator assistance. The derivation of the Pmusc/Eadi index from Eadi and airway pressure during an expiratory occlusion enables a continuous estimate of patient's inspiratory effort.