Current opinion in critical care
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Dec 2023
ReviewTelephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first responder systems, cardiac arrest centers, and global campaigns to save lives.
The latest resuscitation guidelines contain a new chapter, which focuses on systems improving care for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). In this article, we describe recent developments regarding telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), first responder systems, cardiac arrest centers, and global campaigns. ⋯ Telephone CPR, first responder systems, cardiac arrest centers, and global campaigns are highlighted in the recent resuscitation guidelines. However, the degree of implementation is not yet sufficient. We do not only need to implement these measures, but we should also aim to monitor the systems regarding their performance and further improve them.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Aug 2023
ReviewCardiogenic shock: a major challenge for the clinical trialist.
Cardiogenic shock (CS) results in persistently high short-term mortality and a lack of evidence-based therapies. Several trials of novel interventions have failed to show an improvement in clinical outcomes despite promising preclinical and physiologic principles. In this review, we highlight the challenges of CS trials and provide suggestions for the optimization and harmonization of their design. ⋯ Accurate characterization of CS severity and its pathophysiology are crucial to unravel heterogeneity and identify the patients most likely to benefit from a tested treatment. Implementation of biomarker-stratified adaptive clinical trial designs (i.e., biomarker or subphenotype-based therapy) might provide important insights into treatment effects.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Apr 2024
ReviewEnteral nutrition in septic shock: a call for a paradigm shift.
The purpose of this review is to identify contemporary evidence evaluating enteral nutrition in patients with septic shock, outline risk factors for enteral feeding intolerance (EFI), describe the conundrum of initiating enteral nutrition in patients with septic shock, appraise current EFI definitions, and identify bedside monitors for guiding enteral nutrition therapy. ⋯ The provision of early enteral nutrition preserves gut barrier functions; however, these benefits are counterbalanced by potential complications of introducing luminal nutrients into a hypo-perfused gut, including bowel ischemia. Findings from the NUTRIREA2 and NUTRIREA-3 trials substantiate a 'less is more' enteral nutrition dose strategy during the early acute phase of critical illness. In the absence of bedside tools to guide the initiation and advancement of enteral nutrition in patients with septic shock, the benefit of introducing enteral nutrition on preserving gut barrier function must be weighed against the risk of harm by considering dose of vasopressor, dose of enteral nutrition, and severity of illness.
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Current demographic change leads to higher number of elderly patients admitted to an ICU. Among other organs also the kidneys show age-related changes, which are associated with a decline in various aspects of renal function. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of structural and functional changes in elderly and also to specifically address the increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) in this population. ⋯ Age-related alterations of the kidneys were found at microscopic and macroscopic levels of the cell. These changes lead to a reduced renal reserve and subsequently to an increased vulnerability of aged kidneys when an additional stressor is added. Age is an independent risk factor for developing AKI. Physicians should take into account the altered renal function in elderly patients and take renal protective measures at an early stage.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Oct 2023
ReviewTreatment of invasive candidiasis in the era of Candida resistance.
The increasing incidence of drug-resistant Candida brings a new challenge to the treatment of invasive candidiasis. Although cross-resistance among azoles and echinocandins was generally uncommon, reports of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Candida markedly increased in the last decade. The purpose of this review is to understand mechanisms and risk factors for resistance and how to tackle antifungal resistance. ⋯ Avoiding antifungal's overuse and selecting the best drug, dose and duration, when they are needed, is fundamental. Knowledge of risk factors for resistance, microbiological diagnosis to the species, use of susceptibility test supported by antifungal stewardship programs help attaining effective therapy and sustaining the effectiveness of the current antifungal armamentarium.