Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Comparative Study
RIFLE criteria for acute kidney injury are associated with hospital mortality in critically ill patients: a cohort analysis.
The lack of a standard definition for acute kidney injury has resulted in a large variation in the reported incidence and associated mortality. RIFLE, a newly developed international consensus classification for acute kidney injury, defines three grades of severity--risk (class R), injury (class I) and failure (class F)--but has not yet been evaluated in a clinical series. ⋯ In this general intensive care unit population, acute kidney 'risk, injury, failure', as defined by the newly developed RIFLE classification, is associated with increased hospital mortality and resource use. Patients with RIFLE class R are indeed at high risk of progression to class I or class F. Patients with RIFLE class I or class F incur a significantly increased length of stay and an increased risk of inhospital mortality compared with those who do not progress past class R or those who never develop acute kidney injury, even after adjusting for baseline severity of illness, case mix, race, gender and age.
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We investigated health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and persistent symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in long-term survivors of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We wished to evaluate the influence of PTSD on HRQoL and to investigate the influence of perceived social support during intensive care unit (ICU) treatment on both PTSD symptoms and HRQoL. ⋯ HRQoL was reduced in long-term survivors, and was linked with an increased risk of chronic PTSD with ensuing psychological morbidity. This was independent of physical condition and was associated with traumatic memories of anxiety during their ICU stay. Social support might improve mental health and consequently long-term outcome including employment status.
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Comparative Study
Long-term outcomes and clinical predictors of hospital mortality in very long stay intensive care unit patients: a cohort study.
Little information is available on prognosis and outcomes of very long stay intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The purpose of this study was to identify long-term outcomes after hospital discharge and readily available clinical predictors of hospital mortality for patients requiring prolonged care in the ICU. ⋯ Patients with very long stays in the ICU appear to have a reasonable chance of survival, with most survivors in our cohort residing at their previous place of residence 6 months after hospital discharge. Prolonged requirement for life support therapies (ventilation, vasoactive agents, or acute dialysis) and a limited number of pre-existing co-morbidities (immunosuppression and, to a lesser extent, patient age) were predictors of increased hospital mortality. These predictors may assist in clinical decision making for this resource intensive patient population, and their reproducibility in other very long stay patient populations should be explored.
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The purpose of this study was to determine if noninvasive transcranial oxygen saturation (StcO2) and Bispectral Index (BIS) correlate with severe traumatic brain injury intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes. ⋯ Numerous significant associations with ICU outcomes indicate that BIS and StcO2 are clinically relevant. The independent associations of BIS, StcO2, and ICP with outcomes suggest that noninvasive multi-modal monitoring may be beneficial. Future studies of patients with BIS > or =60 or StcO2 > or =70 will determine if select patients can be managed without ICP monitoring and whether marginal ICP can be observed. An increased CAP index is associated with poor outcome.
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Comparative Study
Alternative protocol to initiate high-frequency oscillatory ventilation: an experimental study.
The objective was to study the effects of a novel lung volume optimization procedure (LVOP) using high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) upon gas exchange, the transpulmonary pressure (TPP), and hemodynamics in a porcine model of surfactant depletion. ⋯ This HFOV protocol is easy to perform, and allows a fast determination of an adequate TPP level that preserves oxygenation. Systemic hemodynamics, as a measure of safety, showed no relevant deterioration throughout the procedure.