Annals of intensive care
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Annals of intensive care · Dec 2016
The occlusion tests and end-expiratory esophageal pressure: measurements and comparison in controlled and assisted ventilation.
Esophageal pressure is used as a reliable surrogate of the pleural pressure. It is conventionally measured by an esophageal balloon placed in the lower part of the esophagus. To validate the correct position of the balloon, a positive pressure occlusion test by compressing the thorax during an end-expiratory pause or a Baydur test obtained by occluding the airway during an inspiratory effort is used. An acceptable catheter position is defined when the ratio between the changes in esophageal and airway pressure (∆Pes/∆Paw) is close to unity. Sedation and paralysis could affect the accuracy of esophageal pressure measurements. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in mechanically ventilated patients, the effects of paralysis, two different esophageal balloon positions and two PEEP levels on the ∆Pes/∆Paw ratio measured by the positive pressure occlusion and the Baydur tests and on the end-expiratory esophageal pressure and respiratory mechanics (lung and chest wall). ⋯ Paralysis and balloon position did not clinically affect the measurement of the ∆Pes/∆Paw ratio, while they significantly increased the end-expiratory esophageal pressure.
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Annals of intensive care · Dec 2016
Increased mortality in hematological malignancy patients with acute respiratory failure from undetermined etiology: a Groupe de Recherche en Réanimation Respiratoire en Onco-Hématologique (Grrr-OH) study.
Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is the most frequent complication in patients with hematological malignancies and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. ARF etiologies are numerous, and despite extensive diagnostic workflow, some patients remain with undetermined ARF etiology. ⋯ In patients with hematological malignancies and ARF, up to 13% remain with undetermined ARF etiology despite comprehensive diagnostic workup. Undetermined ARF etiology is independently associated with hospital mortality. Studies to guide second-line diagnostic strategies are warranted. ClinicalTrials.Gov NCT01172132.
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Annals of intensive care · Dec 2016
Performance of the PEdiatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 score in critically ill children requiring plasma transfusions.
Organ dysfunction scores, based on physiological parameters, have been created to describe organ failure. In a general pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) population, the PEdiatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 score (PELOD-2) score had both a good discrimination and calibration, allowing to describe the clinical outcome of critically ill children throughout their stay. This score is increasingly used in clinical trials in specific subpopulation. Our objective was to assess the performance of the PELOD-2 score in a subpopulation of critically ill children requiring plasma transfusions. ⋯ In a subpopulation of critically ill children requiring plasma transfusion, the PELOD-2 score has a lower but acceptable discrimination than in an entire population. This score should therefore be used cautiously in this specific subpopulation.
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Annals of intensive care · Dec 2016
The critical care response to a hospital outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection: an observational study.
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has caused several hospital outbreaks, including a major outbreak at King Abdulaziz Medical City, a 940-bed tertiary-care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (August-September 2015). To learn from our experience, we described the critical care response to the outbreak. ⋯ Our hospital outbreak of MERS resulted in 63 patients requiring organ support and prolonged ICU stay with a high mortality rate. The ICU response required careful facility and staff management and proper infection control and prevention practices.
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Annals of intensive care · Dec 2016
Respiratory mechanics and lung stress/strain in children with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
In sedated and paralyzed children with acute respiratory failure, the compliance of respiratory system and functional residual capacity were significantly reduced compared with healthy subjects. However, no major studies in children with ARDS have investigated the role of different levels of PEEP and tidal volume on the partitioned respiratory mechanic (lung and chest wall), stress (transpulmonary pressure) and strain (inflated volume above the functional residual capacity). ⋯ Airway pressures and tidal volume normalized to body weight are poor surrogates for lung stress and strain in mild pediatric ARDS.