Articles: critical-illness.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Dec 2022
Early Vasopressor Utilization Strategies and Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients With Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.
Early hypotension after severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) is associated with increased mortality and poor long-term outcomes. Current guidelines suggest the use of intravenous vasopressors, commonly norepinephrine and phenylephrine, to support blood pressure after TBI. However, guidelines do not specify vasopressor type, resulting in variation in clinical practice. We describe early vasopressor utilization patterns in critically ill patients with TBI and examine the association between utilization of norepinephrine, compared to phenylephrine, with hospital mortality after sTBI. ⋯ Early vasopressor utilization among critically ill patients with sTBI is common, increasing over the last decade, and varies across hospitals caring for TBI patients. Compared to phenylephrine, norepinephrine was associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality in propensity-matched analysis. Given the wide variation in vasopressor utilization and possible differences in efficacy, our analysis suggests the need for randomized controlled trials to better inform vasopressor choice for patients with sTBI.
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Acute surge events result in health capacity strain, which can result in deviations from normal care, activation of contingencies and decisions related to resource allocation. This review discusses the impact of health capacity strain on patient centered outcomes. ⋯ An understanding of ICU strain is fundamental to the appropriate clinical care for critically ill patients. Accounting for stain on outcomes in critically ill patients allows for minimization of variation in care and an ability of a given healthcare system to provide equitable, and quality care even in surge scenarios.
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Journal of critical care · Dec 2022
Dynamic changes of pulse pressure but not of pulse pressure variation during passive leg raising predict preload responsiveness in critically ill patients with spontaneous breathing activity.
To evaluate whether the changes in arterial pulse pressure (PP) and/or pulse pressure variation (PPV) during passive leg raising (PLR) can be used to evaluate preload responsiveness in patients with spontaneous breathing activity. ⋯ ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04369027).