Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Review
Ultrasound-guided peripheral vascular catheterization in pediatric patients: a narrative review.
Peripheral vascular catheterization (PVC) in pediatric patients is technically challenging. Ultrasound guidance has gained the most interest in perioperative and intensive care fields because it visualizes the exact location of small target vessels and is less invasive than other techniques. ⋯ There are various ultrasound guidance approaches, and a comprehensive understanding of the basics, operator experience, and selection of appropriate techniques is required for the successful utilization of this technique. This narrative review summarizes the literature regarding ultrasound-guided PVC principles, approaches, and pitfalls to improve its clinical performance in pediatric settings.
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Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is frequently detected in the respiratory tract of mechanically ventilated patients. The aim of this study was to assess current evidence to determine whether antiviral therapy is associated with better outcomes in these patients. ⋯ This meta-analysis of the available data shows that antiviral therapy might result in lower hospital and 30-day all-cause mortality in mechanically ventilated ICU patients who are positive for HSV in the respiratory tract. However, this result must be interpreted with great caution due to the high risk of bias and limited number of patients. Large, well-designed randomized controlled clinical trials are urgently needed.
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High positive end-expiratory pressures (PEEP) may induce overdistension/recruitment and affect ventilation-perfusion matching (VQMatch) in mechanically ventilated patients. This study aimed to investigate the association between PEEP-induced lung overdistension/recruitment and VQMatch by electrical impedance tomography (EIT). ⋯ Change of ventilation-perfusion matching was associated with regional overdistention and recruitment induced by PEEP. A low O/R ratio induced by high PEEP might indicate a more homogeneous ventilation and improvement of VQMatch.