Crit Care Resusc
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Fibrinogen is one of the first coagulation factors to be depleted during traumatic haemorrhage, and evidence suggests hypofibrinogenaemia leads to poor outcomes. A number of fibrinogen replacement products are currently available, with no clear consensus on the ideal product to use in severe traumatic haemorrhage. We hypothesised that it will be possible to rapidly administer fibrinogen concentrate (FC) guided by rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) FIBTEM A5 in patients presenting with trauma haemorrhage. ⋯ This study suggests that administration of FC represents a rapid and feasible method to replace fibrinogen in severe traumatic haemorrhage. However, the optimal method for replacing fibrinogen in traumatic haemorrhage is controversial and large multicentre randomised controlled trials are needed to provide further evidence. This study provided baseline data to inform the design of further clinical trials investigating fibrinogen replacement in traumatic haemorrhage.
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Ionising radiation is a valuable tool in modern medicine including for patients in an intensive care unit (ICU). However, clinicians are faced with a trade-off between benefit of information received from procedure versus risks associated with radiation. As a first step to understanding the risk and benefits of radiation exposure to ICU patients, we aimed to assess the cumulative levels of ionising radiation patients receive during their ICU stay. ⋯ Most ICU patients received low CED during their stay, with the majority receiving less than the recommended limit for members of the public (1 mSv). These results may educate clinicians regarding radiation exposures in ICU settings, highlighting the relatively low exposures and thus low risk to the patients.
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Observational Study
The epidemiology of in-hospital cardiac arrests in Australia: a prospective multicentre observational study.
Australian in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) literature is limited, and mostly published before rapid response teams (RRTs). Contemporary data may inform strategies to improve IHCA outcomes. ⋯ Among seven Australian hospitals, IHCAs were infrequent, mostly occurred in older medical patients early in the hospital admission. Most were non-shockable, ICU therapy was extensive and nearly two-thirds of patients died in hospital. Further strategies are needed to prevent and improve ICHA outcomes.
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Observational Study
Characteristics, management and outcomes of patients with acute liver failure admitted to Australasian intensive care units.
Acute liver failure (ALF) leads to severe illness and usually requires admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Despite its importance, little is known about patients with ALF in Australia and New Zealand. ⋯ POD is the major cause of ALF in Australian and New Zealand liver transplant centres and is a unique and separate form of ALF. It has a much lower associated mortality and treatment with liver transplantation than non-POD ALF. Non-POD patients have a poor prognosis in the absence of transplantation.