Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Treatment with short-acting betablockers in septic patients remains controversial. Two recent large multicenter trials have provided additional evidence on this therapeutic approach. We thus performed a meta-analysis, including the most recent data, to evaluate the potential impacts of treatment with short-acting betablockers on mortality in adult septic patients. ⋯ Administration of short-acting betablockers did not reduce short-term mortality in septic patients with persistent tachycardia. Future studies should also provide extensive hemodynamic data to enable characterization of cardiac function before and during treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Weaning of non COPD patients at high-risk of extubation failure assessed by lung ultrasound: the WIN IN WEAN multicentre randomised controlled trial.
Postextubation respiratory failure (PRF) frequently complicates weaning from mechanical ventilation and may increase morbidity/mortality. Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) alternating with high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) may prevent PRF. ⋯ Compared to conventional oxygenation, prophylactic NIV alternating with HFNO significantly reduced postextubation respiratory failure but failed to reduce reintubation rate and mortality in patients without COPD at high risk of extubation failure. Prophylactic NIV alternating with HFNO was as efficient as recue NIV to treat postextubation respiratory failure.
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Dysregulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system (RAAS) in sepsis is a complex and early phenomenon with a likely significant contribution to organ failure and patient outcomes. A better understanding of the pathophysiology and intricacies of the RAAS in septic shock has led to the use of exogenous angiotensin II as a new therapeutic agent. In this review, we report a multinational and multi-disciplinary expert panel discussion on the role and implications of RAAS modulation in sepsis and the use of exogenous angiotensin II. The panel proposed guidance regarding patient selection and treatment options with exogenous angiotensin II which should trigger further research.
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The use of inhaled antibiotics for treating pneumonia in invasively ventilated patients offers a direct approach, allowing for high local concentrations of the drug in the lower respiratory tract while simultaneously reducing systemic toxicity. However, the real efficacy and safety of nebulized antibiotics remain unclear. The aim of the present is to assess among critically adult patients with pneumonia and invasive ventilation, whether receiving adjuvant inhaled antibiotics improves the rate of microbiological eradication. ⋯ In conclusion, compared to the sole intravenous therapy, the use of adjuvant inhaled antibiotics for treatment of pneumonia in invasively ventilated critically ill patients was associated with a greater incidence of microbiological eradication (low GRADE and high risk of publication bias), but not with clinical recovery and survival.