Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Sep 1992
Use of extracorporeal life support in patients with congenital heart disease.
To review a large experience with extracorporeal life support in patients with congenital heart disease. To determine the major causes of mortality and morbidity in order to improve the results of using this technology in this patient population. ⋯ Extracorporeal life support can be useful in supporting patients with congenital heart disease with life-threatening cardiac or pulmonary failure. Improvements in limiting neurologic and bleeding complications may lead to improvements in the use of extracorporeal life support for this indication. However, prospective, randomized studies are needed to appreciate the role of extracorporeal life support in these patients.
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Critical care medicine · Sep 1992
Prediction criteria for successful weaning from respiratory support: statistical and connectionist analyses.
To develop predictive criteria for successful weaning of patients from mechanical assistance to ventilation, based on simple clinical tests using discriminant analyses and neural network systems. ⋯ Use of quadratic discriminant and neural network analyses could be useful in developing accurate predictive criteria for successful weaning based on simple bedside measurements.
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Critical care medicine · Aug 1992
ReviewVenous air embolism: clinical and experimental considerations.
To examine the existing literature concerning venous air embolism. Causes, pathophysiology, and management are emphasized. ⋯ Venous air embolism is an infrequent complication of invasive diagnostic and therapeutic maneuvers. The cardiovascular, pulmonary, and central nervous systems may all be affected, with severity ranging from no symptoms to immediate cardiovascular collapse. Therapeutic interventions include mechanical measures, such as positioning, withdrawal of air from the right atrium, and measures aimed at reducing bubble size. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy holds some promise in accomplishing the latter, but randomized, controlled trials demonstrating efficacy have yet to be performed.