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Accurate identification of fluid responsiveness has become an important issue in critically ill patients. Pulse pressure and stroke volume variation have been shown to be reliable predictors of fluid responsiv...
The outcomes of patients ventilated for longer than average are unclear, in part because of the lack of an accepted definition of prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV). To better understand the implications o...
The product of growth arrest-specific gene 6 (Gas6) is a vitamin K dependent protein that is secreted by leucocytes and endothelial cells in response to injury and participates in cell survival, proliferation,...
The presence of intracranial hypertension (HICP) after traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects patient outcome. Intracranial pressure (ICP) data from electronic monitoring equipment are usually calculated and rec...
Critical care medicine has expanded the envelope of debilitating disease through the application of an aggressive and invasive care plan, part of which is designed to identify and reverse organ dysfunction bef...
Low cardiac output states such as left heart failure are characterized by preserved oxygen extraction ratio, which is in contrast to severe sepsis. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) allows noninvasive estimati...
Methadone, the most widely delivered maintenance therapy for heroin addicts, may be responsible for life-threatening poisonings with respiratory depression. The toxicokinetics and the toxicokinetic/toxicodynam...
The origin of hyperlactataemia during critical illness is complex but its presence can provide an indicator of inadequate tissue oxygen delivery. Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) represents a unique situation wher...
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a rare, but sometimes fatal, adverse reaction to neuroleptics characterized principally by fever and rigor. The aim of this study was to prove the efficacy of different ...
There is little objective comparative information about the postoperative complications of tracheostomy in morbidly obese patients. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and severity of complica...
Endothelium dysfunction is one of the hallmarks of sepsis. Looney and Mattay, in the previous issue of Critical Care, highlight the role of activated protein C (APC) as a protective endothelial drug in septic sit...
Thrombocytopenia is a common finding in critically ill patients. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is an infrequent cause of a low platelet count. Intensivists should use the diagnostic classification system de...
It has been shown that early central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2)-guided optimization of hemodynamics can improve outcome in septic patients. The early ScvO2 profile of other patient groups is unknown. The ai...
This article provides a summary of current information on rational postoperative use of the nasogastric tube, based on a review of literature related to postoperative gastrointestinal discomfort and management...
Critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP) is a clinical condition frequently seen in patients being treated in critical care units in the final stage of sepsis. The etiopathology of CIP is still unclear, and the o...
Mortality in the ward after an intensive care unit (ICU) stay is considered a quality parameter, and is described as a source of avoidable mortality. Additionally, the attending intensivist frequently anticipa...
We conducted a post-hoc analysis on the effect of recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) on coagulopathic patients from two randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials of rFVIIa as an adjunctive therapy for ...
Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a serious pulmonary complication seen in patients with autoimmune disorders and patients treated with chemotherapy or after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The cli...
Use of helium-oxygen (He/O2) mixtures in critically ill patients is supported by a reliable and well understood theoretical rationale and by numerous experimental observations. Breathing He/O2 can benefit critica...
There are many controversial issues surrounding ethics in study design and conduct of human subjects research. In this review we briefly touch on the origin of ethics in clinical research and how the current r...
Measurements of central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2) have been successfully used to guide haemodynamic therapy in critical care. The efficacy of this approach in the treatment of severe sepsis and septic shoc...
Sedation is widely used in intensive care unit (ICU) patients to limit the risk of pulmonary barotrauma and to decrease oxygen needs. However, adverse effects of cc5128sedation have not been fully evaluated; i...
Delayed gastric emptying and feed intolerance occur frequently in the critically ill. In these patients, gastric motor responses to nutrients are disturbed. Peptide YY (PYY) slows gastric emptying. The aim of ...
Difficulties or failure in airway management are still important factors in morbidity and mortality related to anesthesia and intensive care. A patent and secure airway is essential to manage anesthetized or c...
The choice of invasive systemic haemodynamic monitoring in critically ill patients remains controversial as no multicentre comparative clinical data exist. Accordingly, we sought to study and compare the featu...
Mechanical ventilation is the cornerstone of therapy for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Paradoxically, mechanical ventilation can exacerbate lung damage – a phenomenon known as venti...
Selenium protects cells and inhibits many inflammatory cell mechanisms through antioxidant seleno-enzymes. Immunity improvement is illustrated by the study of Berger and colleagues, with reduction of nosocomia...
Established fluid treatment formulas for burn injuries have been challenged as studies have shown the presence of tissue hypoxia during standard resuscitation. Such findings suggest monitoring at the tissue le...
Left ventricular stroke area by transoesophageal echocardiographic automated border detection has been shown to be strongly correlated to left ventricular stroke volume. Respiratory variations in left ventricu...
During the past few years the ethics sections of critical care societies have proposed a number of policies describing the goals of intensive care unit (ICU) care and providing broad guidance on the diagnoses ...
Further work on the use of albumin in the intensive care unit is discussed. The interesting pilot study by Dubois and colleagues examines the potential benefits for albumin supplementation in the hypoalbuminae...
Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) may be in an inadequate condition to give their informed consent for research. The aim of this study was to analyse the ability to recall participation in a clinical t...
Activated protein C (APC) has emerged as a novel therapeutic agent for use in selected patients with severe sepsis, even though the mechanism of its benefit is not well established. APC has anticoagulant, anti...
A crucial determinant for the success of intensive insulin therapy in critically ill patients is the frequent and accurate measurement of blood glucose values with immediate feedback of results. In general, th...
Cytokines are believed to play an important role in acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Extracorporeal liver support systems may exert beneficial effects in ACLF via removal of cytokines. At present, two sy...
Loop diuretics are the most frequently used diuretics in patients treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). In patients after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery, the use of continuous furosemi...
The definition of what constitutes a 'normal' adrenal response to critical illness is unclear. Consequently, published studies have used a variety of biochemical criteria to define 'adrenal insufficiency'. The...
Hyperlactatemia during cardiopulmonary bypass is relatively frequent and is associated with an increased postoperative morbidity. The aim of this study was to determine which perfusion-related factors may be r...
Our aim was to define early changes of lymphocytes and of NK cells in severe sepsis and to correlate them with serum levels of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1).
From the report by Connors and coworkers in 1996 until now, much effort has been directed at demonstrating the safety and/or effectiveness of strategies based on pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) data. Although ...
This article is part of a Supplement: Volume 10 Supplement 3
The use of pulmonary artery catheters (PACs) during cardiac surgery varies considerably depending on local policy, ranging from use in 5–10% of the patient population to routine application. However, as in oth...
This article is part of a Supplement: Volume 10 Supplement 3
Invasive and noninvasive monitoring facilitates clinical evaluation when resuscitating patients with complex haemodynamic disorders. If the macrocirculation is to be stable, then it must adapt to blood flow or...
This article is part of a Supplement: Volume 10 Supplement 3
Sepsis is associated with cardiovascular changes that may lead to development of tissue hypoperfusion. Early recognition of sepsis and tissue hypoperfusion is critical to implement appropriate hemodynamic supp...
This article is part of a Supplement: Volume 10 Supplement 3
This article is part of a Supplement: Volume 10 Supplement 3
Critical Care