Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Fluid overload is associated with an increased risk for 90-day mortality in critically ill patients with renal replacement therapy: data from the prospective FINNAKI study.
Positive fluid balance has been associated with an increased risk for mortality in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury with or without renal replacement therapy (RRT). Data on fluid accumulation prior to RRT initiation and mortality are limited. We aimed to study the association between fluid accumulation at RRT initiation and 90-day mortality. ⋯ Patients with fluid overload at RRT initiation had twice as high crude 90-day mortality compared to those without. Fluid overload was associated with increased risk for 90-day mortality even after adjustments.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Risk factors and outcomes for prolonged versus brief fever: a prospective cohort study.
Prolonged fever occurs with infectious and noninfectious diseases but is poorly studied in intensive care units. The aims of this prospective multicenter noninterventional study were to determine the incidence and etiologies of prolonged fever in critically ill patients and to compare outcomes for prolonged fever and short-lasting fever. ⋯ Prolonged fever was common, mainly due to severe infections, particularly ventilator-associated pneumonia, and mixed infectious causes were frequent, warranting systematic and careful search for multiple causes. Neurogenic fever was also especially frequent.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Early versus late parenteral nutrition in ICU patients: cost analysis of the EPaNIC trial.
The EPaNIC randomized controlled multicentre trial showed that postponing initiation of parenteral nutrition (PN) in ICU-patients to beyond the first week (Late-PN) enhanced recovery, as compared with Early-PN. This was mediated by fewer infections, accelerated recovery from organ failure and reduced duration of hospitalization. Now, the trial's preplanned cost analysis (N = 4640) from the Belgian healthcare payers' perspective is reported. ⋯ The increased costs by Early-PN were mainly pharmacy-related and explained by higher expenditures for PN and anti-infective agents. The use of Early-PN in critically ill patients can thus not be recommended for both clinical (no benefit) and cost-related reasons.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Alkaline phosphatase for treatment of sepsis-induced acute kidney injury: a prospective randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
To evaluate whether alkaline phosphatase (AP) treatment improves renal function in sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI), a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study in critically ill patients with severe sepsis or septic shock with evidence of AKI was performed. ⋯ The improvements in renal function suggest alkaline phosphatase is a promising new treatment for patients with severe sepsis or septic shock with AKI.
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Multicenter Study
Effect of non-clinical inter-hospital critical care unit to unit transfer of critically ill patients: a propensity-matched cohort analysis.
No matter how well resourced, individual hospitals cannot expect to meet all peaks in demand for adult general critical care. However, previous analyses suggest that patients transferred for non-clinical reasons have worse outcomes than those who are not transferred, but these studies were underpowered and hampered by residual case-mix differences. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of transferring adult general critical care patients to other hospitals for non-clinical reasons. ⋯ In our analysis the difference in mortality between non-clinical transferred and nontransferred patients was not statistically significant. Nevertheless, non-clinical transfers received, on average, an additional 3 days of critical care. This has potential ramifications in terms of distress, inconvenience and cost for patients, their families, and the National Health Service. We therefore need further evidence, including qualitative data from family members and cost-effective analyses, to better understand the broader effects of non-clinical transfer.