Critical care medicine
-
Critical care medicine · Jun 2022
Observational StudyAberrant Fibrin Clot Structure Visualized Ex Vivo in Critically Ill Patients With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection.
Disseminated fibrin-rich microthrombi have been reported in patients who died from COVID-19. Our objective is to determine whether the fibrin clot structure and function differ between critically ill patients with or without COVID-19 and to correlate the structure with clinical coagulation biomarkers. ⋯ We found aberrant fibrin clot structure and function in critically ill patients with COVID-19. These findings may contribute to the poor outcomes observed in COVID-19 patients with widespread fibrin deposition.
-
Critical care medicine · Jun 2022
Randomized Controlled TrialTherapeutic Hyperthermia Is Associated With Improved Survival in Afebrile Critically Ill Patients With Sepsis: A Pilot Randomized Trial.
To test the hypothesis that forced-air warming of critically ill afebrile sepsis patients improves immune function compared to standard temperature management. ⋯ Participants randomized to external forced-air warming did not have a difference in HLA-DR expression or IFN-γ production. In this pilot study, however, 28-day mortality was lower in the intervention group. Future research should seek to better elucidate the impact of temperature modulation on immune and nonimmune organ failure pathways in sepsis.