Articles: function.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Apr 2014
ReviewFeeding the gut: how, when and with what - the metabolic issue.
To review the literature on feeding critically ill patients with special emphasis on the intestine. ⋯ The use of gastric feeding in critical illness is recommended. Successful gastric feeding is indicative of a functional gastrointestinal tract. Pharmacological effects of nutrients are questionable, but supplementation of deficits (glutamine, selenium, etc.) may be in the patient's best interest. A more individualized prescription of nutrition in the critically ill is advocated.
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In the perioperative period, acute heart failure can result from a variety of conditions, and treatment may vary considerably depending on its mechanism. This review aims to provide conceptual framework by selectively presenting recent knowledge and advances in acute heart failure therapies including drugs (inotropes, diuretics) and devices (mechanical assistance, biventricular pacing, ultrafiltration). ⋯ Poor data exist in the perioperative setting concerning acute heart failure therapies. Large trials are needed to support the use of levosimendan, mechanical assistance, utrafiltration and biventricular pacing in the perioperative setting. The prognostic role of natriuretic peptides was confirmed in the perioperative period.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Bosentan for sarcoidosis associated pulmonary hypertension: A double-blind placebo controlled randomized trial.
Sarcoidosis-associated pulmonary hypertension (SAPH) is a common problem in patients with persistent dyspneic sarcoidosis. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of bosentan therapy on pulmonary arterial hemodynamics in patients with SAPH. ⋯ This study demonstrated that bosentan significantly improved pulmonary hemodynamics in patients with SAPH.
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Data from MRI can be used to generate detailed maps of central nervous system anatomy and functional activation. Here, we review new research that integrates advanced MRI acquisition and analysis to predict and track recovery following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) or anoxic ischemic encephalopathy (AIE) following cardiac arrest. ⋯ MRI of the brain is feasible in critically ill patients following TBI or cardiac arrest, revealing patterns of structural damage and functional disconnection that can help predict outcome in the long term. Prospective studies are needed to validate these findings and to identify relationships between MRI-defined alterations and specific postinjury cognitive and behavioural phenotypes.
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A large proportion of patients undergoing surgery have coexisting chronic kidney disease, placing them at greater risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this review is to review the recent developments in how renal function is estimated, how this relates to surgical outcomes, and how this has been applied clinically. ⋯ Improved accuracy in defining kidney disease will aid clinicians in identifying higher risk patients, and aid earlier diagnosis of acute kidney injury. Further research is required, specifically on the implications of kidney disease in noncardiac surgical patients, and how defining renal function before and after surgery can aid in preventive strategies.