Search results for "CRITICAL ILLNESS"

Parents' experiences of neonatal transfer. A meta-study of qualitative research 2000-2017.

2018

Transfers of critically ill neonates are frequent phenomena. Even though parents’ participation is regarded as crucial in neonatal care, a transfer often means that parents and neonates are separated. A systematic review of the parents’ experiences of neonatal transfer is lacking. This paper describes a meta-study addressing qualitative research about parents’ experiences of neonatal transfer. Through deconstruction and reflections of theories, methods and empirical data, the aim was to achieve a deeper understanding of theoretical, empirical, contextual, historical and methodological issues of qualitative studies concerning parents’ experiences of neonatal transfer over the course of this …

The role of lactate besides the lactic acidosis

2013

Lactic acidosis (LA) is the most common form of metabolic acidosis defined by values of lactate greater than 5 mmol / l and by a pH <7.34. The pathogenesis of LA involves hypoxic (type A) and non hypoxic (type B) causes which are often coexisting. Lactic acidosis is usual in hospitalized population especially in subjects in intensive care units, in which lactate levels on admission could be predictors of mortality even in the absence of organ dysfunction or shock. The outcome is mainly dependent on the cardiovascular effects of acidosis. In subjects with cardiogenic shock, the increased lactate/pyruvate ratio, detectable at onset, is correladed with mortality. An early assessment of blood a…

Noninvasive Ventilation in Critically Ill Patients

2015

Since its first application in the late 1980s, noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has been the first-line intervention for certain forms of acute respiratory failure. NIV may be delivered through the patient's mouth, nose, or both using noninvasive intermittent positive pressure ventilation or continuous positive airway pressure. When applied appropriately, NIV may reduce morbidity and mortality and may avert iatrogenic complications and infections associated with invasive mechanical ventilation. This article provides physicians and respiratory therapists with a comprehensive, practical guideline for using NIV in critical care. © 2015 Elsevier Inc.

Parathyroid hormone serum concentration kinetic profile in critically ill patients undergoing continuous renal replacement therapies: a prospective o…

2021

Introduction: Elevated serum parathormone (PTH) levels have been observed in acute kidney injury and are related to calcium-phosphate metabolism disturbance, decreased renal production of 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3, impaired renal PTH excretion, and other renal-independent factors. There are no data regarding PTH concentration kinetics in critically ill patients undergoing continuous renal replacement therapies (CRRT) in an intensive care setting. The primary objective of this study was to investigate trends in PTH serum levels in critically ill patients with multiorgan failure undergoing CRRT, by performing periodic PTH measurements in the acute phase of critical illness. Material and method…

Critically ill patients with cirrhosis and low serum sodium.

2010

Medication errors and risk areas in a critical care unit

2020

The aim of this study was to identify the main medication errors, their causality and the highest risk areas in critical care.A descriptive, longitudinal and retrospective study.We performed a systematic analysis of the prescription, transcription and administration records of 2,634 dose units of medications that were administered to a total of 87 critically ill patients during 2018.Final results have shown important medication errors and a high number of significant drug interactions; prescription phase had the highest mistake rate (71%) and cause of errors (68%); transcription stage had a more variable error typology. A significant correlation was observed between the presence of causes a…

Should Reinke edema be considered a contributing factor to post-extubation failure?

2015

We read with interest the recently published review in Critical Care about post-extubation laryngeal edema and stridor by Pluijms et al. [1]. The review considers in detail the risk factors for post-extubation respiratory failure and describes a post-extubation algorithm for its prevention and reduction. We recently published a case report describing the occurrence of post-extubation stridor leading to post-extubation respiratory failure in a woman with a previously undiagnosed Reinke edema (RE) [2]. RE is a progressive laryngeal soft-tissue swelling. The condition typically manifests in female gender as hoarseness and as a gradually deepening voice in patients with a history of smoking, vo…

Nasal high-flow preoxygenation for endotracheal intubation in the critically ill patient? Pro

2019

How to manage aspergillosis in non-neutropenic intensive care unit patients.

2014

Invasive aspergillosis has been mainly reported among immunocompromised patients during prolonged periods of neutropenia. Recently, however, non-neutropenic patients in the ICU population have shown an increasing risk profile for aspergillosis. Associations with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and corticosteroid therapy have been frequently documented in this cohort. Difficulties in achieving a timely diagnosis of aspergillosis in non-neutropenic patients is related to the non-specificity of symptoms and to lower yields with microbiological tests compared to neutropenic patients. Since high mortality rates are typical of invasive aspergillosis in critically ill patients, a high level …

Choice of fluids in critically ill patients

2018

Background Fluids are by far the most commonly administered intravenous treatment in patient care. During critical illness, fluids are widely administered to maintain or increase cardiac output, thereby relieving overt tissue hypoperfusion and hypoxia. Main text Until recently, because of their excellent safety profile, fluids were not considered “medications”. However, it is now understood that intravenous fluid should be viewed as drugs. They affect the cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal and immune systems. Fluid administration should therefore always be accompanied by careful consideration of the risk/benefit ratio, not only of the additional volume being administered but also of th…