Articles: critical-illness.
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Critical care medicine · Oct 1992
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialEffect of acidified enteral feedings on gastric colonization in the critically ill patient.
To evaluate the effect of acidified enteral nutritional formulas (feedings) on gastric colonization and pH in critically ill patients. ⋯ Acidified enteral feedings are effective in eliminating and preventing gastric colonization in critically ill patients. Further investigation is needed to assess its effect on nosocomial infection rates.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Oct 1992
Diagnostic and therapeutic use of chest sonography: value in critically ill patients.
Portable chest radiography, used for critically ill patients, often fails to depict thoracic disease clearly. Chest sonography allows good characterization of pleural diseases, mediastinal lesions, and pulmonary consolidations, and provides accurate and safe guidance for interventional procedures. Accordingly, we evaluated its usefulness in the diagnosis and management of critically ill patients. ⋯ Chest sonography is a useful diagnostic tool for critically ill patients with chest diseases. This technique can be particularly helpful when CT is not available or when critically ill patients cannot be moved.
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We prospectively studied transport of a group of 100 surgery/trauma patients and a matched control group in the ICU. APACHE II scores for the two groups were 23 +/- 6 and 20 +/- 8. During transport both groups had ECG, heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation continuously monitored. ⋯ Abdominal CT scanning and angiography were associated with the highest percentage of tests leading to a management change (51% and 57%). The average charge to the patient was $612.00 and the average cost to the hospital $452.00. Our results suggest that while physiologic changes are frequent during transport, they are also frequent in ICU patients as a consequence of the severity of illness.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)