Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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It is known that proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines are released during and after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in infants and children. Sex steroids are known to have immunomodulatory functions, and release of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 is stimulated by progesterone in vitro. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the plasma levels of progesterone, IL-8 (proinflammatory cytokine) and IL-10, and to relate them to sex and postoperative morbidity. ⋯ The present study shows that CPB induces a significant and marked increase in plasma levels of progesterone in infants and children. Studies of administration of progesterone-blocking substances to male and female animals may help to elucidate the roles of sex and progesterone in the setting of CBP.
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The use of low-dose dobutamine to maintain hemodynamic stability in pulmonary hypertension may have a detrimental effect on gas exchange. The aim of this study was to investigate whether inhaled nitric oxide (INO), dobutamine and a combination of the two have beneficial effects in patients with end-stage airway lung disease and pulmonary hypertension. ⋯ Dobutamine and INO have complementary effects on pulmonary circulation. Their association may be beneficial in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate pulmonary hypertension.
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At the 2001 Toronto Critical Care Medicine Symposium, exciting new research results were presented, including a randomized trial of peri-operative pulmonary-artery catheter use and evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of ventilator-acquired pneumonia. Presenters reviewed other important recent critical care developments such as (1) activated protein C and low-dose steroids in sepsis, (2) prone positioning and long-term outcomes in patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome, and (3) medical errors in the critical care unit. ⋯ Furthermore, additional study is needed for an understanding of how physicians implement new research findings. Successful methods of enhancing the widespread adoption of new research require further study.
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The World Trade Center attack and collapse is the first time an aircraft has been used as a weapon of mass effect. The scale and magnitude of this manmade disaster can only be compared with a natural catastrophe such as the Armenian earthquake of December 1988. The importance of an incident command system and the Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment, and the need for fixed Casualty Collection Points, is explained.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The CRASH trial: the first large-scale, randomised, controlled trial in head injury.
The global epidemic of head injuries is just beginning. Many are caused by road traffic crashes. It is estimated that, by 2020, road traffic crashes will have moved from its present position of ninth to third in the world disease burden ranking, as measured in disability adjusted life years. ⋯ Over the next 5 years, the trial aims to recruit a total of 20,000 patients. Such large numbers will only be possible if hundreds of doctors and nurses can collaborate in emergency departments all over the world. The trial is currently recruiting, and new collaborators are welcome to join the trial (see www.crash.lshtm.ac.uk).