Minerva anestesiologica
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Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients almost uniformly suffer from sleep disruption. Even though the role of sleep disturbances is not still adequately understood, they may be related to metabolic, immune, neurological and respiratory dysfunction and could worsen the quality of life after discharge. A harsh ICU environment, underlying disease, mechanical ventilation, pain and drugs are the main reasons that underlie sleep disruption in the critically ill. ⋯ Delirium is strongly related to increased ICU morbidity and mortality, thus the resolution of sleep disruption could significantly contribute to improved ICU outcomes. An early evaluation of delirium is strongly recommended because of the potential to resolve the underlying causes or to begin an appropriate therapy. Further studies are needed on the effects of strategies to promote sleep and on the evaluation of better sleep in clinical outcomes, particularly on the development of delirium.
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A significant number of patients that have been critically ill require mechanical ventilation for extended periods of time as they progress towards recovery. Many of these patients can be cared for outside of the Intensive Care Unit in facilities focused on stabilizing the underlying medical problems, managing ventilatory support, and planning for rehabilitation and home care. ⋯ In the present article, a relevant literature review is presented concerning the outcome of patients undergoing prolonged mechanical ventilation. The main focus of the research was to address how to alleviate the burden of prolonged critical illness on mechanically ventilated patients who may eventually die after a great deal of suffering, and to identify the tangible emotional and financial costs to these patients, their families, and society.
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Muscle wasting and paralysis are common complications in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients, where critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP) and critical illness myopathy (CIM), alone or in combination (CIP/CIM), are the commonest causes. CIP is an acute axonal sensory-motor polyneuropathy usually suspected in ICU patients who, after a period of days or weeks, cannot be weaned from the ventilator despite the absence of pulmonary or cardiac causes of respiratory failure, or because they suffer from various degrees of limb weakness. CIM is an acute primary myopathy with a continuum of myopathic findings, from myopathies with pure functional impairment and normal histology to myopathies with atrophy and necrosis. ⋯ Recent data indicate that CIM has a better prognosis than CIP, and differential diagnosis is therefore important to predict long term outcome in ICU patients. Bioenergetic failure is thought to be a relevant pathophysiological mechanism explaining both CIP/CIM and multi-organ failure. Indeed, CIP/CIM itself should be considered as the failure of the peripheral nervous-muscular system.