Search results for "CRITICAL ILLNESS"
showing 10 items of 91 documents
Mechanical ventilation parameters in critically ill COVID-19 patients: a scoping review
2021
Abstract Background The mortality of critically ill patients with COVID-19 is high, particularly among those receiving mechanical ventilation (MV). Despite the high number of patients treated worldwide, data on respiratory mechanics are currently scarce and the optimal setting of MV remains to be defined. This scoping review aims to provide an overview of available data about respiratory mechanics, gas exchange and MV settings in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) for COVID-19-associated acute respiratory failure, and to identify knowledge gaps. Main text PubMed, EMBASE, and MEDLINE databases were searched from inception to October 30, 2020 for studies providing at least one v…
Co-colonization with carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii in intensive care unit patients
2013
Objectives: This investigation was conducted to study co-colonization by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) and Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients in Palermo, Sicily, a geographic area where both organisms are endemic in the healthcare setting. Risk factors at admission and during ICU stay and outcomes were also evaluated. Methods: All patients colonized by KPC-Kp, or CRAB, or both in 2 ICUs of a large general hospital during the period October 2011 – March 2012 were enrolled. Demographics and clinical data were collected. Resistance determinants and clonality of the 2 organisms were characterized by mo…
Evaluation of the pulse wave arrival time as a marker for blood pressure changes in critically ill infants and children
1995
Objective. Pulse arrival time (PAT), which is the interval between the R wave of the electrocardiogram (ECG) and the arrival of the pulse wave peripherally, has been reported to be suitable for use as an indirect measure of blood pressure change. The purpose of this study was to evaluate, in critically ill infants and children, the degree to which 1/PAT covaries with systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure, as well as heart rate.Methods. A laboratory device was used to calculate PAT in real time from the ECG and the plethysmographic curve of pulse oximetry used for routine monitoring. Calculated PAT and corresponding blood pressures and heart rate were stored on hard disk. A total of 1…
Performance of existing clinical scores and laboratory tests for the diagnosis of invasive candidiasis in critically ill, nonneutropenic, adult patie…
2022
Background The Fungal Infections Definitions in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients (FUNDICU) project aims to provide standard sets of definitions for invasive fungal diseases in critically ill, adult patients. Objectives To summarize the available evidence on the diagnostic performance of clinical scores and laboratory tests for invasive candidiasis (IC) in nonneutropenic, adult critically ill patients. Methods A systematic review was performed to evaluate studies assessing the diagnostic performance for IC of clinical scores and/or laboratory tests vs. a reference standard or a reference definition in critically ill, nonneutropenic, adult patients in ICU. Results Clinical scores, despite t…
Design and psychometric testing of instruments to measure qualified intensive care nurses’ attitudes toward obese intensive care patients
2018
The purpose of this pilot study was to design and test research instruments to measure qualified intensive care nurses' implicit and explicit attitudes and behavioral intentions toward obese intensive care patients. In previous studies researchers have demonstrated that some health professionals hold negative attitudes toward obese patients; however, little is known about qualified intensive care nurses' attitudes toward these patients. Our cross-sectional pilot study involved Implicit Association Tests, the Anti-fat Attitude questionnaire, an explicit bias scale comprising ratings of explicit beliefs and feelings, assessment of behavioral intentions based on vignettes, and demographic ques…
Diagnostic accuracy and potential clinical value of the LightCycler SeptiFast assay in the management of bloodstream infections occurring in neutrope…
2011
Summary Objectives The objectives of this study were to compare the performance of the LightCycler SeptiFast Test MGRADE and conventional blood culture in the etiological diagnosis of febrile episodes occurring in neutropenic and critically ill patients (in the intensive care unit; ICU), and to assess the potential clinical value of the SeptiFast test in patient management. Methods A total of 86 febrile episodes occurring in 33 neutropenic patients and 53 ICU patients were analyzed. Blood samples for blood culture and SeptiFast testing were obtained at the onset of fever, before the implementation of empirical antimicrobial therapy. Results The overall microorganism-to-isolate agreement bet…
Intensive care nurses’ experiences of caring for obese intensive care patients: A hermeneutic study
2017
Aim and objectives To obtain a deeper understanding of qualified intensive care nurses’ experiences of caring for obese patients in intensive care. Background Admission of obese patients with complex health care needs to intensive care units is increasing. Caring for obese critically ill patients can be challenging and demanding for the intensive care nurse because of the patients’ weight, critical situation, and physical challenges. There is a gap in knowledge at present about qualified intensive care nurses’ experiences of caring for obese patients in intensive care units. Design A qualitative hermeneutic approach. Method The study took place in 2016 at intensive care units of two differe…
Alterations in circadian rhythm of serum thyrotropin in critically ill patients.
1992
To evaluate the 24-h pattern of serum thyrotropin (TSH) in critically ill patients, we measured serum concentrations of TSH in blood samples collected every 2 h for 24 h from nine patients (six with malignancy, two with liver cirrhosis, one with chronic renal failure), who had subnormal levels of both triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), in the absence of history, symptoms or signs of thyroid disease. Analysis of the data, performed using a second-order inferential statistical methodology for rhythmometry (cosinor method), demonstrated that critically ill patients still had daily oscillations of serum TSH which significantly adapted to the function approximating the circadian rhythms (…
B-Lines for the assessment of extravascular lung water: Just focused or semi-quantitative?
2020
BACKGROUND B-lines as typical artefacts of lung ultrasound are considered as surrogate measurement for extravascular lung water. However, B-lines develop in the sub-pleural space and do not allow assessment of the whole lung. Here, we present data from the first observational multi-centre study focusing on the correlation between a B-lines score and extravascular lung water in critically ill patients suffering from a variety of diseases. PATIENTS AND METHODS In 184 adult patients, 443 measurements were obtained. B-lines were counted and expressed in a score which was compared to extravascular lung water, measured by single-indicator transpulmonary thermodilution. Appropriate correlation coe…
Intra and inter-raters reliability and agreement of stimulus electrodiagnostic tests with two different electrodes in sedated critically-ill patients
2019
Objective: The aim of the present study was to verify the intra- and inter-rater reliability and agreement of the stimulus electrodiagnostic test (SET) measurements obtained by pen and square elect...