Current opinion in critical care
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Aug 2020
ReviewNovel approaches to metabolic assessment and structured exercise to promote recovery in ICU survivors.
Survivorship or addressing impaired quality of life (QoL) in ICU survivors has been named 'the defining challenge of critical care' for this century to address this challenge; in addition to optimal nutrition, we must learn to employ targeted metabolic/muscle assessment techniques and utilize structured, progressive ICU rehabilitative strategies. ⋯ The combination of nutrition with effective, early rehabilitation is highly likely to be essential to optimize muscle mass/strength and physical function in ICU survivors. Currently, technologies such as muscle-specific ultrasound and CPET testing show great promise to guide ICU muscle/functional recovery. Further, we must evolve improved ICU-rehabilitation strategies, as current methods are not consistently improving outcomes. In conclusion, we must continue to look to other areas of medicine and to athletes if we hope to ultimately improve 'ICU Survivorship'.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Aug 2020
ReviewBone metabolism and fracture risk during and after critical illness.
There is growing evidence that bone health is impacted during and after critical illness in multiple ways. In this review, we provide a practical update on postcritical care bone loss with an insight on identification of persons at risk, prevention and treatment strategies. ⋯ A history of critical illness should be considered as a strong risk factor for osteopenia and osteoporosis. ICU-related bone loss should be part of the postintensive care syndrome, and should be targeted by prevention and treatment strategies. Optimized and individualized protein and micronutrient provision (with specific attention to calcium, vitamin D and selenium), associated with physiotherapy and muscle training, should be implemented early after ICU admission and continued after ICU discharge. Antiresorptive agents such as biphosphonates should be considered on an individualized basis.
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Cardiogenic shock is a severe complication with mortality rates of ∼50% that requires a rapid and complex management to aid and identify the highest and lowest risk patients. To that end, novel cardiogenic shock biomarkers are needed to improve risk stratification and to personalize therapy. ⋯ A new wave of research focused on novel proteomic and molecular techniques, is providing new candidates that promise to aid clinical decision-making and patient stratification in cardiogenic shock. The CS4P score is emerging as the most robust, yet it requires prospective validation in cardiogenic shock patients managed with circulatory and ventricular assist devices.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Aug 2020
ReviewMetabolic support in sepsis: corticosteroids and vitamins: the why, the when, the how.
Sepsis is a global health issue, and there is a need for effective, low-cost adjunct metabolic treatments. Corticosteroids have been investigated in many trials for decades, and recently the administration of vitamin C, thiamine (vitamin B1), and vitamin D have been proposed as novel therapies in patients with sepsis. ⋯ Evidence from high-quality research is still insufficient to support the use of vitamin C, thiamine, and vitamin D as metabolic support in sepsis treatment.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Aug 2020
ReviewThe place of extracorporeal life support in cardiogenic shock.
Temporary circulatory support (TCS) devices are increasingly used as a salvage therapy for patients with refractory cardiogenic shock. The exact place of the different TCS devices in the management of cardiogenic shock patients remains unclear and intensely debated. This article provides an overview on new cardiogenic shock classification, currently available devices, place of TCS in the management of cardiogenic shock patients, and discusses the results of recent case series and trials in this setting. ⋯ TCS devices have become the cornerstone of the management of patients with refractory cardiogenic shock. VA-ECMO has emerged as the first-line support system in this setting, with a growing number of accepted indications. Large adequately powered randomized controlled trials are now underway and should help to determine the respective place of different TCS devices in strategies to treat cardiogenic shock patients.