Crit Care Resusc
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Comparative Study
Withdrawal of active treatment in intensive care: what is stopped - comparison between belief and practice.
To assess the methods of withdrawal of active treatment in intensive care patients and to compare surveyed practice with the beliefs of medical and nursing staff. ⋯ These results suggest a wide disparity between belief and practice, with variable documentation regarding end-of-life decision-making and treatment of patients for palliation in the ICU. Several guidelines have been published that might improve end-of-life care. We recommend a standardised approach to improve communication between medical and nursing staff.
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Comparative Study
Assessment of the clinical utility of an ultrasonic monitor of cardiac output (the USCOM) and agreement with thermodilution measurement.
To assess the clinical utility of an ultrasonic monitor of cardiac output (USCOM), its reliability in tracking cardiac output (CO) changes and agreement with thermodilution (TD) measurements of CO. ⋯ Poor agreement with TD and a substantial rate of failure to obtain an USCOM measurement suggest that this device is unsuitable as a monitoring tool in intensive care.