Current opinion in critical care
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Summary estimates indicate that bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can improve the chances of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival two-fold to three-fold. And yet, only a minority of arrest victims receive bystander CPR. This summary will review the challenges and approaches to achieve early and effective bystander CPR. ⋯ Recent developments in bystander CPR have simplified arrest recognition and improved CPR training, while retaining CPR effectiveness. The goal of these developments is to increase and improve bystander CPR and in turn improve resuscitation.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Jun 2011
ReviewTherapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest: where are we now?
Therapeutic hypothermia is widely recommended after cardiac arrest. In this review, we present publications reflecting the current discussion and opinions related to use of therapeutic hypothermia in comatose adult cardiac arrest survivors. ⋯ Although only proven beneficial for patients with ventricular fibrillation, the majority of centres today use therapeutic hypothermia also for comatose survivors with other initial rhythms. Some controversies still exist; the optimal target temperature, timing and duration of cooling have not yet been defined, and some researchers still think that the concept of therapeutic hypothermia is not satisfactorily proven scientifically. A new randomized study comparing temperature management to 36°C with 33°C is therefore underway.
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Therapeutic hypothermia and aggressive management of postresuscitation disease considerably improved outcome after adult cardiac arrest over the past decade. However, therapeutic hypothermia alters prognostic accuracy. Parameters for outcome prediction, validated by the American Academy of Neurology before the introduction of therapeutic hypothermia, need further update. ⋯ Awakening from postanoxic coma is increasingly observed, despite early absence of motor signs and frank elevation of serum markers of brain injury. A new multimodal approach to prognostication is therefore required, which may particularly improve early prediction of favorable clinical evolution after cardiac arrest.
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Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is an attractive method of monitoring patients during mechanical ventilation because it can provide a noninvasive continuous image of pulmonary impedance, which indicates the distribution of ventilation. This article will discuss ongoing research on EIT, with a focus on methodological aspects and limitations and novel approaches in terms of pathophysiology, diagnosis and therapeutic advancements. ⋯ There is growing evidence that supports EIT usage as a bedside measure to individually optimize ventilator settings in critically ill patients in order to prevent ventilator-induced lung injury. A standardization of current approaches to analyse and interpret EIT data is required in order to facilitate the clinical implementation.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Jun 2011
ReviewUse of computed tomography scanning to guide lung recruitment and adjust positive-end expiratory pressure.
We discuss the possible role of computed tomography (CT) to guide protective mechanical ventilation in acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS), especially tidal volume (VT) and positive-end expiratory pressure (PEEP) settings and recruitment manoeuvres. ⋯ In ALI/ARDS patients, CT reveals discrepancies between bedside chest radiograph and various clinical and physiological parameters, and it is essential to assess lung morphology and recruitability. Specific algorithms, including or not CT, should be used to better identify ALI/ARDS with potential of recruitment and setting of VT and PEEP.