Current opinion in critical care
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Jun 2021
ReviewCirculating biomarkers to assess cardiovascular function in critically ill.
Circulatory shock is one of the most common reasons for ICU admission. Mortality rates in excess of 40% necessitate the rapid identification of high-risk patients, as well as the early assessment of effects of initiated treatments. There is an unmet medical need for circulating biomarkers that may improve patient stratification, predict responses to treatment interventions and may even be a target for novel therapies, enabling a better biological rationale to personalize therapy. ⋯ From a molecular perspective, shock represents a highly heterologous syndrome, in which multiple unique pathways are dysregulated. Assessment of the status of these pathways with circulating biomarkers may provide a unique opportunity to detect specific phenotypes and implement personalized medicine in the treatment of circulatory shock.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Apr 2021
ReviewRehabilitating the neurological patient in the ICU: what is important?
To describe recent literature evaluating the effectiveness of early rehabilitation in neurocritical care patients. ⋯ Further research is warranted to determine the benefits and harm of early rehabilitation in neurological patients. As current evidence is limited, and given recent findings in stroke studies, careful consideration should be taken when prescribing exercises in neurocritically ill patients.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Apr 2021
ReviewIntra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome: a current review.
Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and its deleterious effects are present in at least one-third of ICU patients. Increased recognition of IAH has led to significant reduction in the incidence of abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). Many questions remain regarding what therapeutic interventions truly reduce morbidity and mortality associated with IAH/ACS. Recent research sheds new light on the effects of IAH in individual organ systems and unique disease states. This paper will review recent research in IAH/ACS recognition, treatment, and management. ⋯ There is significant research on the broad impact of IAH/ACS in the ICU setting. Focus on IAH/ACS has gone beyond the purview of intensivists and surgeons to include outstanding work by specialists in multiple sub-specialties. These advances have generated improvements in current treatment algorithms. We review recent IAH/ACS literature and have categorized the most pertinent results into organ system-specific contributions.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Apr 2021
ReviewLung-protective ventilation and adjunctive strategies to manage respiratory failure: are they safe in the neurological patient?
The coexistence of neurological injury and respiratory failure is common in intensive care. This article provides a contemporary overview of the safety and efficacy of different strategies for mechanical ventilation and adjunctive respiratory approaches in patients with acute brain injury. ⋯ Research is needed to determine the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of LPV and adjunctive approaches for managing patients with concurrent brain injury and respiratory failure.
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With a potentially life-threatening course, acute pancreatitis (AP) is one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases requiring hospitalization and often necessitating intensive care. Based on recent insights and recommendations, this review provides an overview on clinical management of AP patients with a focus on intensive care unit care. ⋯ New evidence and recent international consensus direct the current management of AP toward a tailored, multidisciplinary and less invasive therapy with complementary roles for hepatologists, intensivists, radiologists, and surgeons.