Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Nov 2003
Biography Historical ArticleThe first intensive care unit in the world: Copenhagen 1953.
After an extensive survey of the medical literature we present compelling evidence that the first intensive care unit was established at Kommunehospitalet in Copenhagen in December 1953. The pioneer was the Danish anaesthetist Bjørn Ibsen. The many factors that interacted favourably in Copenhagen to promote the idea of intensive care therapy, half a century ago, are also described.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Nov 2003
Prevalence and predictive value of ionized hypocalcemia among critically ill patients.
Ionized hypocalcemia is common among critically ill patients, and it has been shown to correlate with increased mortality. The purpose of this study was to examine the performance and independence of ionized calcium (Ca2+) in prediction of all-cause day-30 mortality among critically ill adult patients. ⋯ Ionized hypocalcemia is common among critically ill adults and it is associated with increased mortality. Although non-survivors and survivors differ significantly in admission Ca2+, hypocalcemia is not independently associated with day-30 mortality.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Nov 2003
Positioning internal jugular venous catheters using the right third intercostal space in children.
Central venous catheters are used for pressure measurement, and drug and fluid therapy in children. Several reports have described serious complications related to catheter positioning. We evaluated the possibility of using the right third intercostal space as an anatomic landmark for determining the optimal insertion depth of a central venous catheter from the right internal jugular vein. ⋯ Using the right third intercostal space as an anatomic landmark allows positioning of the catheter tip in the SVC near to but not in the RA in children.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Oct 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialChanges in onset time of rocuronium in patients pretreated with ephedrine and esmolol--the role of cardiac output.
We investigated the hypothesis that manipulation of cardiac output (CO) with esmolol (Es) or ephedrine (E) affects the onset time of rocuronium. ⋯ Pretreatment with E or Es appears to affect the onset time of rocuronium by altering CO as measured with the NICO (Non-Invasive Cardiac Output) monitor (Novametrix Medical Systems Inc., Willingford, CO).
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Oct 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialContinuous epidural or intercostal analgesia following thoracotomy: a prospective randomized double-blind clinical trial.
Pain following thoracotomy is frequently associated with clinically important abnormalities of pulmonary function. The aim of the current study was to compare the efficacy of continuous thoracic epidural analgesia (EDA) to continuous intercostal (IC) block for postoperative pain and pulmonary function in a prospective, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial. ⋯ The results of the present study show that following thoracotomy in the early postoperative period continuous EDA is a better pain relieving method than continuous IC block, as indicated by the VAS scores.