Current opinion in critical care
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Jun 2024
ReviewAntimicrobial stewardship and molecular diagnostics: a symbiotic approach to combating resistance in the ED and ICU.
This review aims to evaluate the incorporation of rapid molecular diagnostics (RMD) in antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) in the management of patients in the emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit (ICU), highlighting a shift from conventional microbiological diagnostic tests to RMD strategies to optimize antimicrobial use and improve patient outcomes. ⋯ RMD hold great value in simplifying patient management and mitigating antimicrobial exposure, particularly in settings with high levels of antimicrobial resistance where the use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials is high. While the impact on the use of antimicrobials is significant, the impact on patient outcomes is not yet clear. Successful integration of RMD in clinical decision making in the ED and ICU requires a team approach and continued education, and its use should be adapted to the local epidemiology and infrastructure.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Feb 2024
ReviewSetting positive end-expiratory pressure: does the 'best compliance' concept really work?
Determining the optimal positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) setting remains a central yet debated issue in the management of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).The 'best compliance' strategy set the PEEP to coincide with the peak respiratory system compliance (or 2 cmH 2 O higher) during a decremental PEEP trial, but evidence is conflicting. ⋯ The traditional 'best compliance' strategy for determining optimal PEEP settings in ARDS carries risks and overlooks some key physiological aspects. The advent of new technologies and methods presents more reliable strategies to assess recruitment and overdistention, facilitating personalized approaches to PEEP optimization.
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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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Enterocutaneous fistulas (ECFs) pose a significant impact in the healthcare system, both financially and in resource utilization. Delivery of optimal care is complex and involves intensive wound care, complex nutritional delivery and multidisciplinary care teams for optimization. Recently, there have been pushes to modernize the traditional approach to ECF care to a new paradigm of protocol-based individualized delivery of care. ⋯ ECF care is complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach focused on source control, nutritional optimization with focus on enteral nutrition, wound care and prehabilitation.
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In the current review, we aim to highlight the evolving evidence on the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of critical illness weakness (CIW) and critical illness associated diaphragmatic weakness (CIDW). ⋯ This review aims to clarify some uncertain aspects and provide helpful information on developing monitoring techniques and therapeutic interventions for managing CIW and CIDW.