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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia in the critically ill and is associated with adverse outcomes. Although there are plausible benefits from conversion and maintenance of ...
Of brain-injured patients admitted to intensive care units, a significant number acquires nosocomial infections. Increased susceptibility to infectious agents could, at least partly, be due to transient immuno...
Most hospitals are facing the dilemma caused by demand for critical care beds outstripping supply. This imbalance is likely to get worse over the coming years as a result of many factors, including aging of th...
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are an increasingly common problem in intensive care units (ICUs), and they are capable of impacting on patient outcome, the ICU's budget and bed availability. This issue, coupled...
Sweeping conclusions regarding the utility or nonutility of elevating expiratory pressure are not warranted. The effects of manipulating airway pressure in the setting of airflow obstruction depend heavily on ...
Acid–base disorders are common in critically ill patients. Metabolic acid–base disorders are particularly common in patients who require acute renal replacement therapy. In these patients, metabolic acidosis i...
Research in the intensive care unit (ICU) is commonly thought to pose 'serious risk' to study participants. This perception may be at the root of a variety of impediments to the conduct of clinical trials in t...
Sepsis almost invariably leads to hemostatic abnormalities, ranging from insignificant laboratory changes to severe disseminated intravascular coagulation. There is compelling evidence from clinical and experi...
PROWESS (Recombinant Human Activated Protein C Worldwide Evaluation in Severe Sepsis) was a phase III, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, multicenter trial conducted in patients with severe sepsis f...
Acute hypoxic respiratory failure (AHRF) remains a significant cause of death in intensive care units. With the realization that pathophysiologic abnormalities in AHRF involve surfactant abnormalities as well ...
Partial assist ventilation reduces work of breathing in patients with bronchospasm; however, it is not clear which components of the ventilatory cycle contribute to this process. Theoretically, expiratory posi...
The decision to withdraw or withhold life supporting treatment in moribund patients is difficult under any circumstances. When the patient becomes incompetent to clarify their wishes regarding continued mainte...
SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) proved an enormous physical and emotional challenge to frontline health care workers throughout the world in late 2002 through to mid 2003. A large percentage of patien...
Excessive inflammatory responses and impaired oxygen utilization because of microcirculatory failure are implicated in septic shock. Recent studies have pointed out some beneficial effects in the treatment of ...
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been shown to improve splanchnic blood flow in experimental studies. This report evaluates the effects of NAC on liver perfusion and lactate signal intensities in the liver tissue of .....
Our aim was to examine whether serial blood lactate levels could be used as predictors of outcome.
Colchicum autumnale, commonly known as the autumn crocus, contains alkaloid colchicine with antimitotic properties.
This review introduces methods for investigating relationships between two qualitative (categorical) variables. The χ2 test of association is described, together with the modifications needed for small samples. T...
The organs of the hepatosplanchnic system are considered to play a key role in the development of multiorgan failure during septic shock. Impaired oxygenation of the intestinal mucosa can lead to disruption of...
Adequate oxygenation at all times is of paramount importance to the critically injured patient to avoid secondary damage. The role of endotracheal intubation in out-of-hospital advanced trauma life support, ho...
The aims of the present study were to assess patients' memories of their stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) over time, using the Italian version of the ICU Memory (ICUM) tool, and to examine the relationshi...
Antibiotics used for treatment of severe bacterial infections have been shown to exert effects on the inflammatory response in addition to their antibacterial effects. The aim of the present study was to inves...
The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a devastating constellation of clinical, radiological and pathological signs characterized by failure of gas exchange and refractory hypoxia. Despite nearly 30...
The intensive care unit is burdened with a high frequency of nosocomial infections often caused by multiresistant nosocomial pathogens. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are reported to be the third caus...
Providing effective analgesia and adequate sedation is a generally accepted goal of intensive care medicine. Due to its rapid, organ independent and predictable metabolism the short acting opioid remifentanil ...
In August 2003, France sustained an unprecedented heat wave that resulted in 14,800 excess deaths. The consequences were maximal in the Paris area. The Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris reported more than ...
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of the stress response on plasma insulin, cortisol, glucose, and urinary vanilmandelic acid during weaning and after extubation, using pressure suppo...
This open label, multicentre study was conducted to assess the times to offset of the pharmacodynamic effects and the safety of remifentanil in patients with varying degrees of renal impairment requiring inten...
Procalcitonin (PCT) has been proposed as a marker of infection in critically ill patients; its level is related to the severity of infection. We evaluated the value of PCT as a marker of bacterial infection fo...
This double-blind, randomized, multicentre study was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of remifentanil and fentanyl for intensive care unit (ICU) sedation and analgesia.
Intensivists depend upon a large number of measurements to make daily decisions in the ICU. However, the reliability of these measures may be jeopardized by the effects of therapy. Moreover, in critical illnes...
The contribution by Pepe and colleagues provides additional evidence that initial defibrillation is not necessarily the optimal intervention for victims of cardiac arrest and especially when cardiac arrest has...
Drug acquisition costs are only a proportion of the total costs associated with drug therapy. The relevance of these costs are often not appreciated. However, they impact on the Intensive Care Unit via resourc...
The present review introduces methods of analyzing the relationship between two quantitative variables. The calculation and interpretation of the sample product moment correlation coefficient and the linear re...
Recruitment is a dynamic physiological process that refers to the reopening of previously gasless lung units. Cumulating evidence has led to a better understanding of the rules that govern both recruitment and...
Experimental and clinical evidence point strongly toward the potential for microvascular stresses to influence the severity and expression of ventilator associated lung injury. Intense microvascular stresses n...
Critical Care