Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jul 2012
Pain-related middle-latency somatosensory evoked potentials in the prognosis of post anoxic coma: a preliminary report.
Regarding hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, while the bilateral absence of N20/P25 somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) is considered to be the best indicator of adverse outcomes, the presence of middle latency evoked potentials (MLCEPs) is associated with a favourable neurological prognosis. The main aim of the present study was to investigate whether painful electrical stimulation might be considered a provocative test in producing MLCEPs and predictor of patient's outcomes after cardiac arrest. ⋯ These preliminary data suggest that MLCEPs elicited by painful electrical stimulation seem to be a sensitive method to predict the neurological outcome of patients in the acute phase of coma. Blood pressure response might be a prognostic physiological measure of survival in the vegetative state in patients without N20/P25 SEPs.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jul 2012
Mortality and morbidity of nosocomial respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in ventilated children--a ten year perspective.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most common pathogens involved in nosocomial infection in children. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of nosocomial RSV infection on mortality and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) morbidity of ventilated children. ⋯ Nosocomial RSV infection was independently associated with increased mortality and was the strongest predictor of duration of ventilation and length of stay in children on PICU. Decreasing nosocomial RSV infection would reduce deaths in ventilated children.