Current opinion in critical care
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Jun 2024
ReviewDisaster management - preparation and planning for acute care facilities.
Both human-derived and naturally-occurring disasters stress the surge capacity of health systems and acute care facilities. In this article, we review recent literature related to having a disaster plan, facility planning principles, institutional and team preparedness, the concept of surge capacity, simulation exercises and advantages and disadvantages of each. ⋯ Disaster management requires careful planning with input from multiple stakeholders and a plan that is frequently updated with repeated preparation to ensure the team is ready when a disaster occurs. Close communication as well as clearly defined roles are critical to success when transitioning from preparation to activation and execution of a disaster response.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Jun 2024
ReviewArtificial intelligence to advance acute and intensive care medicine.
This review explores recent key advancements in artificial intelligence for acute and intensive care medicine. As artificial intelligence rapidly evolves, this review aims to elucidate its current applications, future possibilities, and the vital challenges that are associated with its integration into emergency medical dispatch, triage, medical consultation and ICUs. ⋯ Despite promising academic strides, widespread artificial intelligence adoption in acute and critical care is hindered by ethical, legal, technical, organizational, and validation challenges. Despite these obstacles, artificial intelligence's potential to streamline clinical workflows is evident. When these barriers are overcome, future advancements in artificial intelligence have the potential to transform the landscape of patient care for acute and intensive care medicine.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Jun 2024
ReviewWearable wireless continuous vital signs monitoring on the general ward.
Wearable wireless sensors for continuous vital signs monitoring (CVSM) offer the potential for early identification of patient deterioration, especially in low-intensity care settings like general wards. This study aims to review advances in wearable CVSM - with a focus on the general ward - highlighting the technological characteristics of CVSM systems, user perspectives and impact on patient outcomes by exploring recent evidence. ⋯ Widespread implementation of CVSM systems on the general ward and potentially outside the hospital seems inevitable. Despite the theoretical benefits of CVSM systems in improving clinical outcomes, and supporting nursing care by optimizing clinical workflow efficiency, the demonstrated effects in clinical practice are mixed. This review highlights the existing challenges related to data quality, usability, implementation, integration, interpretation, and user perspectives, as well as the need for robust evidence to support their impact on patient outcomes, workflow and cost-effectiveness.
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This review explores lung recruitment monitoring, covering techniques, challenges, and future perspectives. ⋯ Monitoring lung recruitment is a crucial component of managing patients with severe lung conditions, within the framework of a personalized ventilatory strategy. Although challenges persist, emerging technologies offer promise for a personalized approach to care in the future.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Jun 2024
ReviewMonitoring CO2 kinetics as a marker of cardiopulmonary efficiency.
To describe current and near future developments and applications of CO2 kinetics in clinical respiratory and cardiovascular monitoring. ⋯ The kinetics of carbon dioxide describe many relevant physiological processes. The clinical introduction of new ways of assessing respiratory and circulatory efficiency based on advanced analysis of CO2 kinetics are paving the road to a long-desired goal in clinical monitoring of critically ill patients: the integration of respiratory and circulatory monitoring during mechanical ventilation.