Crit Care Resusc
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Severe sepsis and septic shock in patients with pre-existing non-cardiac pulmonary hypertension: contemporary management and outcomes.
To review treatment and outcomes of septic shock in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) managed at a tertiary care institution. ⋯ The severity of PH, new-onset AF, and longer vasopressor support were associated with poor outcomes in patients with PH who developed severe sepsis and septic shock.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
A randomised controlled trial of induced hypermagnesaemia following aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage.
The effect of serum magnesium concentration on the incidence of cerebral arterial vasospasm following aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is unclear. ⋯ Patients assigned a higher serum magnesium concentration had a reduced incidence of vasospasm as seen by angiography, but the difference was not statistically significant. Clinically significant outcomes were not different between groups. A firm recommendation for induced hypermagnesaemia cannot be made from this study.
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Comparative Study
Fluid balance does not predict estimated sodium balance in critically ill mechanically ventilated patients.
Distribution of total body water (TBW) depends on local and systemic factors including osmolality, relative sodium content and permeability. Although positive fluid balance has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients, the mechanisms and relative roles of sodium balance and water distribution are uncertain. ⋯ Fluid balance may not reflect sodium balance in critically ill patients. As sodium balance correlates with respiratory dysfunction and increased extracellular volume, further studies examining sodium balance and morbidity seem warranted.
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Comparative Study
Characteristics and outcomes of patients subject to intensive care nurse consultant review in a teaching hospital.
To describe the evolution of our Intensive Care Nurse Consultant (ICNC) service, the characteristics and outcomes of the patients reviewed, and interventions performed. ⋯ Most interventions are relatively simple, and the ICNC role may be augmented by limited rights to prescribe electrolyte replacement. The effect of the intervention on patient outcomes and the reproducibility of our findings in other hospitals remain to be determined.
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Case Reports
Normothermic extracorporeal human liver perfusion following donation after cardiac death.
Liver transplantation is a major life-saving procedure and donation after cardiac death (DCD) has increased the pool of potential liver donors. However, livers procured after DCD are at increased risk of primary graft dysfunction and biliary tract ischaemia. Normothermic extracorporeal liver perfusion (NELP) may increase the ability to protect, evaluate and, in future, transplant DCD livers. ⋯ We achieved NELP with evidence of liver function (bile production, paracetamol removal and control of ammonia, bilirubin and lactate levels) for 3 hours. There was essentially normal liver and biliary tract histology after 8 hours of perfusion. Our experiment justifies further investigation of the feasibility and efficacy of human DCD liver preservation by NELP.