Current opinion in critical care
-
Curr Opin Crit Care · Apr 2022
ReviewTreating the body to prevent brain injury: lessons learned from the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
We aim to provide the current evidence on utility and application of neuromonitoring tools including electroencephalography (EEG), transcranial Doppler (TCD), pupillometry, optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy (cNIRS), somatosensory-evoked potentials (SSEPs), and invasive intracranial monitoring in COVID-19. We also provide recent evidence on management strategy of COVID-19-associated neurological complications. ⋯ Early recognition using standardized neuromonitoring and timely intervention is important to reduce morbidity and mortality. The management strategy for neurological complications is similar to those without COVID-19.
-
Present an outline of acute liver failure, from its definition to its management in critical care, updated with findings of selected newer research. ⋯ Medical treatment of patients with acute liver failure is now associated with significantly improved survival. Better prognostication and selection for emergency liver transplant may further improve care for these patients.
-
More than 230 million people have tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 infection globally by September 2021. The infection affects primarily the function of the respiratory system, where ∼20% of infected individuals develop coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) pneumonia. This review provides an update on the pathophysiology of the COVID-19 acute lung injury. ⋯ This review summarises the fundamental pathophysiological features of COVID-19 in the context of the respiratory system. It provides an overview of the key clinical manifestations of COVID-19 pneumonia, including gas exchange impairment, altered pulmonary mechanics and implications of abnormal chemical and mechanical stimuli. It also critically discusses the clinical implications for mechanical ventilation therapy.
-
Curr Opin Crit Care · Feb 2022
ReviewPhenotyping in acute respiratory distress syndrome: state of the art and clinical implications.
Decades of research in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have led to few interventions that impact clinical outcomes. The pandemic of patients with ARDS due to the novel SARS-CoV-2 infection has stressed the need for more effective therapies in ARDS. Phenotyping may enable successful trials and precision therapeutics in this patient population. ⋯ Although much progress has been made in ARDS phenotyping, implementation of precision medicine practices will depend on conducting phenotype-aware trials using rapid point of care assays or machine learning algorithms. Omics studies will enhance our understanding of biologic determinants of clinical outcomes in ARDS sub-phenotypes. Whether biologic ARDS sub-phenotypes are specific to this syndrome or rather more broadly identify endotypes of critical illness remains to be determined.