0000000000140918
AUTHOR
Umberto Maggiore
Sustained low-efficiency dialysis (SLED) for acute lithium intoxication
Acute lithium intoxication may cause serious neurologic and cardiac manifestations, up to the patient's death. Owing to its low molecular weight, relatively small volume of distribution close to that of total body water, and its negligible protein binding, lithium can be efficiently removed by any extracorporeal modality of renal replacement therapy (RRT). However, the shift from the intracellular to the extracellular compartment, with the inherent rebound phenomenon after the end of RRT, might limit the efficacy of the conventional, short-lasting haemodialysis. There have been no published studies up to now concerning the use of sustained low-efficiency dialysis (SLED) in lithium intoxicat…
Predicting patient outcome from acute renal failure comparing three general severity of illness scoring systems
Predicting patient outcome from acute renal failure comparing three general severity of illness scoring systems.BackgroundA major problem of studies on acute renal failure (ARF) arises from a lack of prognostic tools able to express the medical complexity of the syndrome adequately and to predict patient outcome accurately. Our study was thus aimed at evaluating the predictive ability of three general prognostic models [version II of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II), version II of the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II), and version II of the Mortality Probability Model at 24 hours (MPM24 II)] in a prospective, single-center cohort of patients with ARF …
Cytomegalovirus infection management in solid organ transplant recipients across European centers in the time of molecular diagnostics: An ESGICH survey
Background Scant information is available about how transplant centers are managing their use of quantitative molecular testing (QNAT) assays for active cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection monitoring in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. The current study was aimed at gathering information on current practices in the management of CMV infection across European centers in the era of molecular testing assays. Methods A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey study was conducted by the European Study Group of Infections in Immunocompromised Hosts (ESGICH) of the Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID). The invitation and a weekly reminder with a personal link to …
Incidence, risk factors, and prognosis of gastrointestinal hemorrhage complicating acute renal failure.
Incidence, risk factors, and prognosis of gastrointestinal hemorrhage complicating acute renal failure. Background Few prospective data are currently available on acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage (AGIH) as a complication of acute renal failure (ARF). The aim of the present study was to define incidence, sources, risk factors, and outcome of AGIH in patients with ARF. Methods We performed a prospective study on an inception cohort of 514 patients admitted for ARF to a nephrology intermediate care unit. Data on clinical risk factors for bleeding, frequency of occurrence of AGIH, length of hospital stay, and in-hospital mortality were collected. Independent predictors of AGIH were identified.…
The relation between the incidence of hypernatremia and mortality in patients with severe traumatic brain injury
Introduction The study was aimed at verifying whether the occurrence of hypernatremia during the intensive care unit (ICU) stay increases the risk of death in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). We performed a retrospective study on a prospectively collected database including all patients consecutively admitted over a 3-year period with a diagnosis of TBI (post-resuscitation Glasgow Coma Score ≤ 8) to a general/neurotrauma ICU of a university hospital, providing critical care services in a catchment area of about 1,200,000 inhabitants. Methods Demographic, clinical, and ICU laboratory data were prospectively collected; serum sodium was assessed an average of three times per …