Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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To study the level and predictors of posttraumatic stress, anxiety and depression symptoms in medical, surgical and trauma patients during the first year post intensive care unit (ICU) discharge. ⋯ The mean level of posttraumatic stress symptoms in patients one year following ICU treatment was high and one of four were above case level Predictors of posttraumatic stress symptoms were mainly demographics and experiences during hospital stay whereas clinical injury related variables were insignificant. Pessimism was a predictor of posttraumatic stress, anxiety and depression symptoms. A subgroup of patients developed clinically significant distress symptoms during the follow-up period.
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Comparative Study
Arterial pressure-based cardiac output in septic patients: different accuracy of pulse contour and uncalibrated pressure waveform devices.
We compared the ability of two devices estimating cardiac output from arterial pressure-curve analysis to track the changes in cardiac output measured with transpulmonary thermodilution induced by volume expansion and norepinephrine in sepsis patients. ⋯ The CIpc was reliable and accurate for assessing the CI changes induced by volume expansion and norepinephrine. By contrast, the CIpw poorly tracked the trends in CI induced by those therapeutic interventions.
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Metformin associated lactic acidosis (MALA) may complicate metformin therapy, particularly if metformin accumulates due to renal dysfunction. Profound lactic acidosis (LA) generally predicts poor outcome. We aimed to determine if MALA differs in outcome from LA of other origin (LAOO). ⋯ Compared to similarly severe lactic acidosis of other origin, the prognosis of MALA is significantly better. MALA should be considered in metformin-treated patients presenting with lactic acidosis.
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Discrepancies of 5-24% between superior vena cava oxygen saturation (ScvO2) and mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) have been reported in patients with severe heart failure. Thenar muscle tissue oxygenation (StO2) measured with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during arterial occlusion testing decreases slower in sepsis/septic shock patients (lower StO2 deoxygenation rate). The StO2 deoxygenation rate is influenced by dobutamine. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the StO2 deoxygenation rate and the ScvO2-SvO2 discrepancy in patients with severe left heart failure and additional sepsis/septic shock treated with or without dobutamine. ⋯ In patients with severe heart failure with additional severe sepsis/septic shock the ScvO2-SvO2 discrepancy presents a clinical problem. In these patients the skeletal muscle StO2 deoxygenation rate is inversely proportional to the difference between ScvO2 and SvO2; dobutamine does not influence this relationship. When using ScvO2 as a treatment goal, the NIRS measurement may prove to be a useful non-invasive diagnostic test to uncover patients with a normal ScvO2 but potentially an abnormally low SvO2.
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Since data regarding new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) in septic shock patients are scarce, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the incidence and prognostic impact of new-onset AF in this patient group. ⋯ AF is a common complication in septic shock patients and is associated with an increased length of ICU stay among surviving patients. The increase in CRP levels before onset of AF may support the hypothesis that systemic inflammation is an important trigger for AF.