Current opinion in critical care
-
Curr Opin Crit Care · Oct 2021
ReviewFunctional outcomes following critical illness: epidemiology, current management strategies and the future priorities.
Intensive care unit (ICU) survivorship has gained significant attention over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this review, we summarize the contemporary literature in relation to the epidemiology and management of post-ICU problems. ⋯ Future research should focus on modifiable risk factors and how identification and treatment of these can improve outcomes. Furthermore, rigorous evaluation of postacute critical care recovery services is necessary.
-
Curr Opin Crit Care · Oct 2021
ReviewCoronavirus disease 2019 respiratory failure: what is the best supportive care for patients who require ICU admission?
Currently, there is no cure for SARS-CoV-2 infection, yet hospital mortality rates for COVID-19 have improved over the course of the pandemic and may be due in part to improved supportive care in the ICU. This review highlights the evidence for and against various ICU supportive therapies for the treatment of critically ill patients with COVID-19. ⋯ In general, the COVID-19 pandemic reaffirmed the benefits of standard supportive care for respiratory failure and in particular, recent advances in ARDS treatment. Prone ventilation of nonintubated patients, an approach that was adopted early in the pandemic, is associated with improvement in oxygenation, but its impact on clinical outcome remains unclear. Otherwise, prone mechanical ventilation and avoidance of excessive tidal volumes, conservative fluid management, antibiotic stewardship and early evaluation for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) -- basic tenants of severe respiratory infections and ARDS care -- remain at the core of management of patients with severe COVID-19.
-
We describe the pathophysiology of cardiogenic shock (CS), from the main pathways to the inflammatory mechanisms and the proteomic features. ⋯ Understanding the pathophysiology of CS is important to treat it optimally.
-
Curr Opin Crit Care · Aug 2021
ReviewManaging the first 120 min of cardiogenic shock: from resuscitation to diagnosis.
Cardiogenic shock continues to carry a high mortality, and recent randomized trials have not identified novel therapies that improve survival. Early optimization of patients with confirmed or suspected cardiogenic shock is crucial, as patients can quickly transition from a hemodynamic shock state to a treatment-resistant hemometabolic shock state, where accumulated metabolic derangements trigger a self-perpetuating cycle of worsening shock. ⋯ Early stabilization of hemodynamics and end-organ function is necessary to achieve best outcomes in cardiogenic shock. Using a structured approach tailored to initial cardiogenic shock resuscitation may help to demonstrate benefit from novel therapies in the future.
-
Assess current potential catabolism-biomarkers to characterize patients developing prolonged critical illness. ⋯ UCR is an available and clinically applicable biomarker of catabolism. Similarly, sarcopenia index can be used to assess muscle mass and indirectly measure catabolism based on readily available biochemical measurements. The utility of novel biomarkers, such as GDF-15 is less established.