Crit Care Resusc
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Maintenance fluid practices in intensive care units in Australia and New Zealand.
Administration of maintenance fluid is common practice in the intensive care unit, contributing to daily fluid and sodium intake and balance. Despite this, there is little evidence to describe clinical practices relating to its administration to ICU patients. ⋯ Administration of maintenance fluids to patients in Australian and New Zealand ICUs is common. Although the volume being delivered has decreased, maintenance fluids contribute over one-third of daily total fluid administration.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Observational Study
Gone fishing in a fluid trial.
To maximise the yield of existing data by assessing the effect on mortality of being born under the zodiac sign Pisces in a trial of intravenous (IV) fluids. ⋯ In a multicentre randomised clinical trial of IV fluids, being born under the sign of Pisces was associated with a decreased risk of death. Our study shows that with convenient use of statistics and an enticing explanatory hypothesis, it is possible to achieve significant findings in post-hoc analyses of data from large trials.
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Multicenter Study
Physiological status during emergency department care: relationship with inhospital death after clinical deterioration.
To examine the relationship between patient physiological status in the emergency department (ED) and inhospital mortality after rapid response team (RRT) or cardiac arrest team (CAT) activations within 72 hours of emergency admission to medical or surgical wards. ⋯ In patients who needed an RRT or CAT activation within the first 72 hours of emergency admission to medical or surgical wards, there was a strong association between physiological derangement during ED care and inhospital death.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Characteristics and outcomes of patients reviewed by intensive care unit liaison nurses in Australia: a prospective multicentre study.
Intensive care unit liaison nurse (ICU LN) services are one strategy to manage deteriorating hospital patients. Studies on the characteristics and outcomes of patients reviewed by ICU LNs have been from single centres and surveys. ⋯ Most ICU LN reviews occur after ICU discharge or in association with an RRT review. The inhospital mortality of ICU LN-reviewed patients is high (about 10%). ICU LNs effectively screen patients and often participate in end-of-life care planning.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational Study
What do ICU doctors do? A multisite time and motion study of the clinical work patterns of registrars.
To quantify the time that intensive care unit registrars spend on different work tasks with other health professionals and patients and using information resources, and to compare them with those of clinicians in general wards and the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Face-to-face communication and information seeking consume a vast proportion of ICU registrars' time. Multitasking and handling frequent interruptions characterise their work, and such behaviours may create an increased risk of task errors. Electronic clinical information systems may be particularly beneficial in this information-rich environment.