Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Meta Analysis
Prognostic value of procalcitonin in respiratory tract infections across clinical settings.
Whether the inflammatory biomarker procalcitonin provides prognostic information across clinical settings and different acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs) is poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the prognostic value of admission procalcitonin levels to predict adverse clinical outcome in a large ARI population. ⋯ Admission procalcitonin levels are associated with setting specific treatment failure and provide the most prognostic information regarding ARI in the emergency department setting.
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Review Meta Analysis
Automated versus non-automated weaning for reducing the duration of mechanical ventilation for critically ill adults and children: a cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis.
Automated weaning systems may improve adaptation of mechanical support for a patient's ventilatory needs and facilitate systematic and early recognition of their ability to breathe spontaneously and the potential for discontinuation of ventilation. Our objective was to compare mechanical ventilator weaning duration for critically ill adults and children when managed with automated systems versus non-automated strategies. Secondary objectives were to determine differences in duration of ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay (LOS), mortality, and adverse events. ⋯ Automated systems may reduce weaning and ventilation duration and ICU stay. Due to substantial trial heterogeneity an adequately powered, high quality, multi-centre randomized controlled trial is needed.
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Review Meta Analysis
Gastric tonometry guided therapy in critical care patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The value of gastric intramucosal pH (pHi) can be calculated from the tonometrically measured partial pressure of carbon dioxide ([Formula: see text]) in the stomach and the arterial bicarbonate content. Low pHi and increase of the difference between gastric mucosal and arterial [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text] gap) reflect splanchnic hypoperfusion and are good indicators of poor prognosis. Some randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were performed based on the theory that normalizing the low pHi or [Formula: see text] gap could improve the outcomes of critical care patients. However, the conclusions of these RCTs were divergent. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of this goal directed therapy on patient outcome in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). ⋯ In critical care patients, gastric tonometry guided therapy can reduce total mortality. Patients with normal pHi on admission contributed to the ultimate result of this outcome; it may indicate that these patients may be more sensitive to this therapy.
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Review Meta Analysis
Incidence and outcome of inappropriate in-hospital empiric antibiotics for severe infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The aims of this study were to explore the incidence of in-hospital inappropriate empiric antibiotic use in patients with severe infection and to identify its relationship with patient outcomes. ⋯ This systematic review with meta-analysis provides evidence that inappropriate use of empiric antibiotics increases 30-day and in-hospital mortality in patients with a severe infection.
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Hydroxyethyl starch versus other fluids for non-septic patients in the intensive care unit: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Use of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) in septic patients is reported to increase the mortality and incidence of renal replacement therapy (RRT). However, whether or not use of HES would induce the same result in non-septic patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) remains unclear. The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate 6% HES versus other fluids for non-septic ICU patients. ⋯ This meta-analysis found no increased mortality, RRT incidence, bleeding volumes or RBC transfusion in non-septic ICU patients, but the sample sizes were small and the studies generally were of poor quality.