Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Kao et al. have reported in Critical Care the histological findings of 101 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) undergoing open lung biopsy. Diffuse alveolar damage (DAD), the histological hallmark of ARDS, was present in only 56.4% of cases. ⋯ On the contrary, there is evidence that the clinical course and outcome of ARDS differs in patients with DAD and in patients without DAD. The discovery of biomarkers for the physiological (increased alveolocapillary permeability) or histological (DAD) hallmarks of ARDS is thus of paramount importance.
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The number of patients admitted to ICU who have liver cirrhosis is rising. Current prognostic scoring tools to predict ICU mortality have performed poorly in this group. In previous research from a single centre, a novel scoring tool which modifies the Child-Turcotte Pugh score by adding Lactate concentration, the CTP + L score, is strongly associated with mortality. This study aims to validate the use of the CTP + L scoring tool for predicting ICU mortality in patients admitted to a general ICU with cirrhosis, and to determine significant predictive factors for mortality with this group of patients. This study will also explore the use of the Royal Free Hospital (RFH) score in this cohort. ⋯ The CTP + L and RFH scoring tool are validated prognostic scoring tools for predicting ICU mortality in patients admitted to a general ICU with cirrhosis.
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Observational Study
Central venous-to-arterial CO2 difference as a prognostic tool in high-risk surgical patients.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical relevance of high values of central venous-to-arterial carbon dioxide difference (PCO2 gap) in high-risk surgical patients admitted to a postoperative ICU. We hypothesized that PCO2 gap could serve as a useful tool to identify patients still requiring hemodynamic optimization at ICU admission. ⋯ A high PCO2 gap at admission in the postoperative ICU was significantly associated with increased postoperative complications in high-risk surgical patients. If the increase in PCO2 gap is secondary to tissue hypoperfusion then the PCO2 gap might be a useful tool complementary to central venous oxygen saturation as a therapeutic target.
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Observational Study
Skeletal muscle oxygenation in severe trauma patients during haemorrhagic shock resuscitation.
Early alterations in tissue oxygenation may worsen patient outcome following traumatic haemorrhagic shock. We hypothesized that muscle oxygenation measured using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) on admission could be associated with subsequent change in the SOFA score after resuscitation. ⋯ Differences in StO2 parameters on admission of traumatic haemorrhagic shock were found between patients who had an improvement in organ failure in the first 72 hours and those who had unchanged or worse conditions. The use of NIRS to guide the initial management of trauma patients with haemorrhagic shock warrants further investigations.
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Pressure-support ventilation, is widely used in critically ill patients; however, the relative contribution of patient's effort during assisted breathing is difficult to measure in clinical conditions. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of ultrasonographic indices of diaphragm contractile activity (respiratory excursion and thickening) in comparison to traditional indices of inspiratory muscle effort during assisted mechanical ventilation. ⋯ In patients undergoing in assisted mechanical ventilation, diaphragm thickening is a reliable indicator of respiratory effort, whereas diaphragm excursion should not be used to quantitatively assess diaphragm contractile activity.