Crit Care Resusc
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There is uncertainty about which end points should be used for Phase II trials in critically ill patients. ⋯ The consensus panel concluded that there are no adequately validated end points for Phase II trials in critically ill patients. However, the following were identified as potential Phase II end points: hospital-free days to Day 90, ICU-free days to Day 28, ventilator-free days to Day 28, cardiovascular support-free days to Day 28, and renal replacement therapy-free days to Day 28. We recommend that these end points be evaluated further.
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To compare patients admitted from the emergency department (ED) directly to a ward (EDWard), the intensive care unit (EDICU) or stepdown (high dependency) unit (EDSDU) with patients admitted via the ED, but whose admission to an ICU (EDWardICU) or SDU (EDWardSDU) was preceded by a ward stay. ⋯ Patients discharged from the ED to a general ward and subsequently to an ICU or SDU had a mortality that exceeded that of ED patients admitted directly to the ICU or SDU. Further investigations are warranted to explain this excess mortality and ascertain the extent of potential preventability.
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To examine nosocomial infections in a cohort of patients receiving extracorporeal life support (ECLS) at our institution and to identify the types of infections, impact of prophylaxis, and any apparent risk factors for infection. ⋯ Although ECLS patients are at high risk of acquiring nosocomial infections, the infection rate in our cohort was low. The bloodstream infection rate compared favourably with previously published rates, and was comparable with the bloodstream infection rate among ICU patients as a whole over the same time period. Increased duration of ECLS in this cohort may correlate with an increased rate of infection, consistent with data from other ECLS centres. Antimicrobial use in ECLS patients was high relative to overall use in ICU patients. Larger studies are warranted to evaluate the diagnosis, treatment and overall approach to managing nosocomial infection in ECLS patients.
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Recently there has been increased focus on improved detection and management of deteriorating patients in Australian hospitals. Since the introduction of the medical emergency team (MET) model there has been an increased role for intensive care unit staff in responding to deterioration of patients in hospital wards. Review and management of MET patients differs from the traditional model of ward patient review, as ICU staff may not know the patient. ⋯ In this article we briefly review the principles of the MET and contend that activation of the MET by ward staff represents a response to a medical crisis. We then outline why MET intervention differs from traditional ward-based doctor-patient encounters, and emphasise the importance of non-technical skills during the MET response. Finally, we suggest ways in which the skills required for crisis resource management within the MET can be taught to ICU staff, and the potential benefits, barriers and difficulties associated with the delivery of such training in New Zealand and Australia.
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Epidemiology and clinical trials require valid, repeatable definitions that ideally dichotomise patients into having, or not having, a clinical condition. • Some conditions are clearly dichotomous, such as pregnancy; others such as hypertension or obesity rely on defining a threshold on an objective scale. • Defining delirium and "adequate" sedation and analgesia in the intensive care unit is more difficult, as there is no universally agreed scale that quantifies the relative importance of various diagnostic features, distinguishes features merely observed from those actively sought, quantifies severity or fluctuation over time, or accounts for the variable approaches of clinicians and the effects of assessment environment and pharmacological treatment. Definitions of delirium and adequate sedation and analgesia therefore vary by assessment method and context, making studies using different methods and personnel not necessarily comparable. • Although there is no simple solution, we suggest better awareness of these problems will be helpful. Further, we propose a simplified categorisation to facilitate clinical communication and treatment in the ICU.