Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Feb 2023
The Impact of the Society of Critical Care Medicine's Flagship Journal: Critical Care Medicine: Reflections of Critical Care Pioneers.
On the 50th anniversary of the Society of Critical Care Medicine's journal Critical Care Medicine, critical care pioneers reflect on the importance of the journal to their careers and to the development of the field of adult and pediatric critical care.
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Critical care medicine · Feb 2023
Meta AnalysisImpact of Early Tracheostomy Versus Late or No Tracheostomy in Nonneurologically Injured Adult Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
The optimal timing of tracheostomy in nonneurologically injured mechanically ventilated critically ill adult patients is uncertain. We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effect of early versus late tracheostomy or prolonged intubation in this population. ⋯ In our systematic review, we observed that early tracheostomy, as compared with late tracheostomy or prolonged intubation, was not associated with a reduction in overall mortality. However, we cannot exclude a clinically relevant reduction in mortality considering the level of certainty of the evidence. A well-designed trial is needed to answer this important clinical question.
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Critical care medicine · Feb 2023
Meta AnalysisMean Arterial Pressure Targets and Patient-Important Outcomes in Critically Ill Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials.
To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine whether targeting a higher mean arterial pressure (MAP) compared with a lower MAP in adults with shock results in differences in patient important outcomes. ⋯ In conclusion, our systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated with moderate certainty that there is no difference in mortality when a higher MAP is targeted in critically ill adult patients with shock. Further studies are needed to determine the impact of mean arterial pressure on need for renal replacement therapy in this population.
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Critical care medicine · Feb 2023
Multicenter Study Observational StudyHemoglobin Concentration Impacts Viscoelastic Hemostatic Assays in ICU Admitted Patients.
Low hemoglobin concentration impairs clinical hemostasis across several diseases. It is unclear whether hemoglobin impacts laboratory functional coagulation assessments. We evaluated the relationship of hemoglobin concentration on viscoelastic hemostatic assays in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and perioperative patients admitted to an ICU. ⋯ Lower hemoglobin concentrations have a consistent, measurable impact on ROTEM/TEG testing in ICU admitted patients, which appear to be artifactual. It is possible that patients with low hemoglobin may appear to have normal viscoelastic parameters when, in fact, they have a mild hypocoagulable state. Further work is required to determine if these tests should be corrected for a patient's hemoglobin concentration.