Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Based on the hypothesis that failure of weaning from mechanical ventilation is caused by respiratory demand exceeding the capacity of the respiratory muscles, we evaluated whether extubation failure could be characterized by increased respiratory drive and impaired efficiency to generate inspiratory pressure and ventilation. ⋯ This study shows that a mixed group of critically ill patients for whom weaning fails have increased neural respiratory drive and impaired ability to convert neuromuscular activity into tidal ventilation, in part because of diaphragm weakness.
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Editorial Comment
Colonization pressure: a critical parameter in the epidemiology of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The recognition of colonization pressure as an important risk factor for acquisition of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the ICU, including Acinetobacter species, has major consequences for our understanding of risk factor analyses. Moreover, the importance of colonization pressure underpins the role of cross-transmission in the dynamics of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the ICU, which has major consequences for the evaluation of the effectiveness of infection control measures.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of the epidemiology, risk factors, outcome and degree of organ failures of patients with candidemia acquired before or during ICU treatment.
The aim of this study was to compare the epidemiology, risk factors, severity and outcome of two types of ICU-treated candidemias: namely, ICU-acquired candidemia (acquired after 48-hour ICU stay) (ICUAC group), and those needing ICU treatment for candidemia acquired before ICU admission or during the first 48-hour ICU stay (non-ICUAC group). ⋯ More than half of the ICU-treated candidemias were acquired prior to admission to the ICU. Patients with ICU- and non-ICU-acquired candidemias had different risk factors and different needs for ICU resources. Hospital mortality was similar in both groups; however, the groups had different mortality rates when the severity of disease and underlying diseases were taken into account.
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Observational Study
Evaluation of a new pocket echoscopic device for focused cardiac ultrasonography in an emergency setting.
In the emergency setting, focused cardiac ultrasound has become a fundamental tool for diagnostic, initial emergency treatment and triage decisions. A new ultra-miniaturized pocket ultrasound device (PUD) may be suited to this specific setting. Therefore, we aimed to compare the diagnostic ability of an ultra-miniaturized ultrasound device (Vscan™, GE Healthcare, Wauwatosa, WI) and of a conventional high-quality echocardiography system (Vivid S5™, GE Healthcare) for a cardiac focused ultrasonography in patients admitted to the emergency department. ⋯ In an emergency setting, this new ultraportable echoscope (PUD) was reliable for the real-time detection of focused cardiac abnormalities.
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Apolipoprotein M (apoM) is present in 5% of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles in plasma. It is a carrier of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), which is important for vascular barrier protection. The aim was to determine the plasma concentrations of apoM during sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and correlate them to levels of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA1), apolipoprotein B (apoB), HDL-, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol. ⋯ During sepsis and SIRS, the plasma concentrations of apoM decrease dramatically, the degree of decrease reflecting the severity of the disease. As a carrier for barrier-protective S1P in HDL, the decrease in apoM could contribute to the increased vascular leakage observed in sepsis and SIRS.