Articles: sepsis.
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Sepsis, shock, and resuscitation may result in various degrees of ischemia-perfusion injury that may produce widespread organ dysfunction through complex interactions and activation of host immunoinflammatory processes. As the pathophysiologic mechanisms of the inflammatory response are better defined, we may be able to modulate the generalized inflammatory state we know as sepsis and prevent the development of multiple organ failure syndrome. At present, however, the mainstay of therapy remains prompt resuscitation to eliminate regions of hypoperfusion and to limit as much as possible those factors that predispose to further organ injury while the source of inflammatory stimulation is being identified and controlled.
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Critical care medicine · May 1991
ReviewExperimental models of pathologic oxygen supply dependency.
Pathologic oxygen supply dependency is an abnormal situation in which oxygen uptake (Vo2) varies directly with oxygen delivery. Its presence in patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome and/or sepsis has been associated with particularly high mortality rates that may be the result of tissue hypoxia that causes multiple organ failure. The evidence for this association has been indirect because we cannot use invasive methods that would be necessary to verify or disprove the hypothesis. ⋯ Regional measurements have shown that gut Vo2 decreases before other areas, particularly skeletal muscle. Lactate measurements alone were shown not to be sufficient proof of tissue hypoxia. More direct measurements of actual energy states and tissue Po2 are indicated for future research efforts.
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Review Clinical Trial
Pneumococcal vaccine trials in Papua New Guinea: relationships between epidemiology of pneumococcal infection and efficacy of vaccine.
Field trials in Papua New Guinea have shown that pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccine protects children less than 2 years of age from death due to acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI). The vaccine appears to reduce mortality by preventing bacteremia. ⋯ The evaluation of pneumococcal vaccines in areas where mortality is high should have the highest priority. For such trials investigators should, at minimum, define epidemiologic circumstances in terms of (1) the invasive serotypes of pneumococci, (2) the protective levels of antibody, (3) the antibody response to vaccination, and (4) the general immune status of the population.
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Sepsis is a frequent complication of central venous catheters, but the diagnosis of catheter sepsis is not always clear-cut. A variety of culture methods is available to determine catheter-related septicemia. Each method has advantages and disadvantages for the clinician to consider. This article reviews qualitative, quantitative, and other culture methods applicable to both blood and the device.