Journal of clinical monitoring and computing
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J Clin Monit Comput · Dec 2012
Airway management practices in adult intensive care units in Israel: a national survey.
Timely and adequate management of normal and compromised airway is a crucial task facing medical teams taking care of patients in intensive care units. We investigated the airway management practices in the Israeli intensive care units (ICUs). A postal survey was sent to the 20 main ICUs in Israel. ⋯ Equipment and medications necessary for airway management are available in most of the units. Difficult airways in ICUs are mainly managed by anesthesiologists and ENT surgeons. Few ICUs have quality assurance meetings.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Dec 2012
Evaluation of an integrated intensive care unit monitoring display by critical care fellow physicians.
In the past two far-view displays, which showed vital signs, trends, alarms, infusion pump status, and therapy support indicators, were developed and assessed by critical care nurses (Görges et al. in Dimens Crit Care Nurs. 30(4):206-17, 2011). The aim of the current study is to assess the generalizability of these findings to physicians. The first aim is to test whether an integrated far-view display, designed to be readable from 3 to 5 m, enables critical care physicians to more rapidly and accurately (1) recognize a change in patient condition; (2) identify alarms; and (3) identify near-empty infusion pumps, than a traditional patient monitor and infusion pump. ⋯ Displays that present patient data in a redesigned format enables critical care clinicians to more rapidly identify changes in patient conditions and to more accurately decide which patient needs their attention. In a clinical setting, this could improve patient safety. In future work, an evaluation of the display using live patient data from an ICU should be performed.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Dec 2012
Case ReportsTranscranial Doppler monitoring of middle cerebral flow velocity in a patient with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt undergoing laparoscopy.
Laparoscopic surgery is possibly associated with a risk of intracranial pressure (ICP) increase due to pneumoperitoneum in patients with ventriculoperitoneal shunts (VPS). Invasive techniques for shunt pressure monitoring are not routinely used because of the possible complications. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) is a non-invasive, safe method which gives accurate information about blood-flow velocities in basal cerebral arteries and indirectly about the ICP. ⋯ We report the use of TCD for middle cerebral flow velocity monitoring in a patient with a VPS who underwent laparoscopic surgery. In the case we present, during 60 min of pneumoperitoneum, TCD showed a sustained, but not clinically significant increase of the Pulsatility Index, with a recorded maximum change of 31 %. We consider that the use of TCD may increase the safety of laparoscopic procedures in patients with preexisting VPS.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Dec 2012
Combination of continuous pulse pressure variation monitoring and cardiac filling pressure to predict fluid responsiveness.
To assess if combining central venous pressure (CVP) and/or pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) information with arterial pulse pressure variation can increase the ability to predict fluid responsiveness in patients under general anesthesia. This study is a retrospective analysis of patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass surgery and monitored with a pulmonary artery catheter who underwent a volume expansion after induction of general anesthesia. Among the 46 patients studied, 31 were responders to volume expansion. ⋯ Combining information on right and/or left cardiac filling pressures with PPV did not increase the ability to predict whether a patient will be a responder or a non-responder to volume expansion. The ability to identify a potentially fluid responsive patient was no better using PPV plus cardiac filling pressures when compared to using PPV alone. Therefore, if PPV values are being monitored in a patient, CVP and PCWP values do not provide additional information to predict fluid responsiveness.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Dec 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialValidation of the new intubation detector device: a manikin study.
This study was done to validate the utility of Umesh's intubation detector in detection of tracheal or oesophageal intubation in manikin using volunteers with different levels of experience in tracheal intubation (including novices). The Sim Man II, (Laerdal Medical AS, Norway) manikin was used. Two cuffed tracheal tubes of size 6.5 mm ID were used. ⋯ Out of a total 100 performances, 99 were correctly identified. On one instance, a tube placed in trachea was incorrectly interpreted to be in the oesophagus by a novice. Umesh's intubation detector helps in rapid and reliable confirmation of tracheal intubation in manikin irrespective of the experience level of the assessor in tracheal intubation.