Revue médicale de Liège
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Revue médicale de Liège · Jan 2014
[Uncontrolled asthma: importance of phenotypes and local and systemic eosinophilia].
Asthma is a complex chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. Eosinophilia is a recognized feature of asthma. Asthma is no more considered as a single disease, but there are several subtypes of bronchial asthma, also called phenotypes, that have therapeutic and prognostic implications. ⋯ An eosinophilic phenotype can lbe suspected in case of concomitant increase of exhaled nitric oxide, blood eosinophils, IgE levels and airway obstruction. We have also identified a subgroup of asthmatics exhibiting diffuse local and systemic eosinophilia. This subgroup has a more severe asthma,a lower asthma control and a higher number of exacerbations.
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Revue médicale de Liège · Jan 2014
Review[Anemia in the critically ill child and adult: a narrative review].
Anemia is frequent in the pediatric and adult intensive care unit. Anemia decreases oxygen transport which can be harmful in the critically ill patient; it is independently associated with a poor prognosis. The major prophylactic measure against anemia is the limitation of blood draws: several approaches can be used to limit phlebotomy overdraw without harming the patient. ⋯ Iron could be useful in case of iron deficiency, but this condition is difficult to diagnose in the critically ill patient. Erythropoietin is no longer relevant in the intensive care unit in the era of restrictive transfusion practice, at least for its hematological effects. Several questions remain to be addressed in order to improve anemia management in the intensive care unit.
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Phone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) assists any cardiac arrest witness, previously trained or not, through standardized instructions given by phone. These instructions are intended to guide the bystander in checking for responsiveness, opening the airway and checking for adequate breathing, and to initiate chest compressions in case of apparent death. ⋯ Its use has been demonstrated to increase the frequency and performance of bystanders' initial CPR efforts. Such improvement might increase the survival chances of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims (OOHCA).
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Revue médicale de Liège · Jan 2014
[The value of electroencephalography monitoring and analysis during anesthesia].
Electroencephalography (EEG) records brain electrical activity at the scalp level. As a functional and non invasive witness of brain activity, EEG has long raised the interest of researchers and practitioners, notably in the domain of anesthesia. Thanks to technical advances, this complex signal can now be dissected, and a huge amount of information can be extracted from it. This information gives the opportunity to quantify theeffects of general anesthesia on the brain, and provides a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms.