Current opinion in critical care
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Dec 2008
ReviewMedical decision making: paternalism versus patient-centered (autonomous) care.
Medical literature has increasingly emphasized the need to observe patients' autonomy; however, not all experts agree with this principle. This discord is based on varying credence between the concepts of autonomy and beneficence. In critically ill patients, this conflict involves the patient's family and creates a particular family-physician relationship. The purpose of this review is to assess the evidence on medical decision making and the family-physician relationship. ⋯ Clinicians must understand the range of preferences in a society and should offer the opportunity to participate in treatment by sharing decision-making responsibility. This would involve assessing the preferences of patients and their families in order to provide care accordingly. Clinicians should then ensure proper information is provided for informed decision making and minimize factors that could have potential adverse effect.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Dec 2008
ReviewImproving quality and safety in the ICU: a challenge for the next years.
The objective of this review is to focus on recent developments in ICU quality improvement. ⋯ Changes described above have impacted the whole practice of intensive care. Quality improvement and offering a safer healthcare will promote deep changes in management and leadership.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Dec 2008
ReviewPostinjury immune monitoring: can multiple organ failure be predicted?
Multiple organ failure is the main cause of late morbidity and mortality after severe injury. This disease state is driven by a dysfunctional immune system. Prediction of multiple organ failure on the basis of clinical parameters appears to be insufficient. A better understanding of immunological pathogenesis underlying multiple organ failure may lead to better prediction and innovation in treatment strategy in order to increase the survival of trauma patients. ⋯ General markers of inflammation including cytokines are correlated with posttraumatic complications with a low sensitivity and specificity and are, therefore, of little use as prognostic markers. Current findings regarding the functionality of immune cells are promising and might be of prognostic value in the near future.
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Renal recovery after acute kidney injury (AKI) is an important outcome, most commonly defined as dialysis independence at hospital discharge. This review focuses on the epidemiology of renal recovery after AKI and provides a framework for determining the relationship of a lack of renal recovery and subsequent outcomes including the development of chronic kidney disease. ⋯ Patients with incomplete renal recovery after AKI are underrepresented in most epidemiologic studies and the precise effect on the incidence and prevalence of end stage renal disease population has yet to be determined. A standardized definition for renal recovery is needed and the influence of an AKI episode on long-term outcomes needs to be better evaluated.