Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Infra-red thermometry: the reliability of tympanic and temporal artery readings for predicting brain temperature after severe traumatic brain injury.
Temperature measurement is important during routine neurocritical care especially as differences between brain and systemic temperatures have been observed. The purpose of the study was to determine if infra-red temporal artery thermometry provides a better estimate of brain temperature than tympanic membrane temperature for patients with severe traumatic brain injury. ⋯ At temperatures within the normal to febrile range, temporal artery temperature is closer to brain temperature than is tympanic membrane temperature.
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Meta Analysis
Effects of steroids on reintubation and post-extubation stridor in adults: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
The efficacy of steroid administration before planned tracheal extubation in critical care patients remains controversial with respect to the selection of patients most likely to benefit from this treatment. ⋯ The efficacy of steroids to prevent stridor and reintubation was only observed in a high-risk population, as identified by the cuff-leak test and when it was administered at least four hours before extubation. The benefit of steroids remains unclear when patients at high risk are not selected.