Clinical intensive care : international journal of critical & coronary care medicine
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Clin Intensive Care · Jan 1994
Clinical TrialTreatment of acute respiratory failure with non-invasive intermittent positive pressure ventilation in haematological patients.
The aim of this study was to assess whether non-invasive positive pressure ventilation delivered intermittently (Ni-IPPV) by means of a facial or nasal mask is beneficial in haematological patients suffering from acute respiratory failure. ⋯ This technique is able to provide adequate ventilatory support for many haematological patients and allows avoidance of ventilation in some.
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Clin Intensive Care · Jan 1994
Review Comparative StudyPressure controlled ventilation--a true advance?
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Clin Intensive Care · Jan 1994
Comparative StudyContinuous invasive cardiac output monitoring--the Baxter/Edwards Critical-Care Swan Ganz IntelliCath and Viligance system.
We evaluated the Baxter/Edwards Critical-Care Swan Ganz IntelliCath continuous cardiac output catheter and Vigilance continuous cardiac output monitor in critically ill adult intensive care patients, and compared cardiac output measurements obtained from this new system with those from a standard bolus thermodilution technique using cold normal saline. Nine Swan Ganz IntelliCath catheters were inserted into patients selected at random, following the decision that pulmonary artery catheter monitoring was required. A total of 100 comparisons were made in nine patients. ⋯ These larger than anticipated limits of agreement may not reflect any inaccuracy in the continuous measurement system, rather they may highlight the extent of well recognised potential errors inherent in the intermittent bolus technique. The availability of a system to measure cardiac output continuously provides a major improvement in intensive care monitoring. This system will permit the rapid and accurate assessment of the response of patients to therapy while providing increased diagnostic facilities and a new research tool.
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Clin Intensive Care · Jan 1994
The value of serum C-reactive protein levels as a marker of sepsis in intensive care unit patients.
A one-year prospective study was carried out to assess the value of routine serum C-reactive protein (CRP) measurement in the early diagnosis of infection in ICU patients of a District General Hospital. Ninety-one patients were included in the study. Sixty-eight patients yielded 28 proved and 77 suspected episodes of infection. ⋯ The only significant rises in CRP (> 25%) were found in the suspected infection group from the day before to the day of infection, when compared with controls (p = 0.04). Traditional markers of infection--maximum temperature and peripheral white blood cell count--were significantly associated with infection. Maximum temperature was significantly higher in both proved and suspected infection on the day before infection (p = 0.000 and 0.001), and on the day of infection (p = 0.025 and 0.03), compared with controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Clin Intensive Care · Jan 1994
Comparative StudyPrevention of atmospheric contamination during isoflurane sedation.
With a view to minimising staff exposure to exhaled isoflurane which had been used for sedation, we assessed the efficacy of either activated charcoal adsorption or active or passive mechanical scavenging systems in intensive care units (ICUs). Personal monitoring revealed minimal exposure of staff to the sedating agent. ⋯ The activated charcoal adsorbers functioned highly efficiently for at least 12-hour periods. With simple scavenging techniques, atmospheric isoflurane contamination during sedation with the agent remains well within an acceptable range and is unlikely to pose a health risk to nursing and medical staff.