Search results for "critical care and intensive care medicine"
showing 10 items of 682 documents
Sedation During Neurocritical Care
2019
AbstractSedation is an essential therapeutic strategy in the care of neurocritical patients. Intravenous sedative agents are the most widely used, with promising alternatives (dexmedetomidine, ketamine, and volatile agents) to propofol and midazolam arising. Studies designed to evaluate superiority and avoid biases are required. A neurological awakening test is safe in most patients. Potential risks and benefits of limiting deep sedation and daily interruption of sedation in these patients remain unclear. The aim of this review was to report recent clinical evidence on sedation in this subgroup of patients, focusing on its effects on clinical prognosis.
Role of biomarkers in the management of antibiotic therapy : an expert panel review : I - currently available biomarkers for clinical use in acute in…
2013
Abstract In the context of worldwide increasing antimicrobial resistance, good antimicrobial prescribing in more needed than ever; unfortunately, information available to clinicians often are insufficient to rely on. Biomarkers might provide help for decision-making and improve antibiotic management. The purpose of this expert panel review was to examine currently available literature on the potential role of biomarkers to improve antimicrobial prescribing, by answering three questions: 1) Which are the biomarkers available for this purpose?; 2) What is their potential role in the initiation of antibiotic therapy?; and 3) What is their role in the decision to stop antibiotic therapy? To ans…
Papel de la antitrombina iii en cirugía cardiaca
2013
Coagulation of blood is of multidisciplinary interest. Cardiac surgery produces major changes in the delicate balance between pro-and anti-coagulant serum factors. The role of antithrombin iii has been analysed after finding evidence that associated decreased levels of protein activity to postoperative morbidity and mortality. Supplementing exogenous antithrombin is considered with the aim of optimising outcomes. Its intrinsic anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory properties have stimulated a growing interest, and suggests new lines of research.
New approaches on diagnosis and treatment of venous thromboembolism
2014
Summary Pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are two clinical presentations of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and share the same predisposing factors. In patients admitted to a hospital the rationale use of thromboprophylaxis is based on the high prevalence of VTE amongst hospitalised patients, the adverse consequences of unprevented VTE, and the efficacy of thromboprophylaxis. There is no doubt about the benefit/risk ratio of perioperative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis, but for a safety performance of regional anaesthesia, particularly neuraxial blocks, an appropriate management based on safety intervals suited to the characteristics of the drug is needed. The first st…
Physiopathological rationale of using high-flow nasal therapy in the acute and chronic setting: A narrative review
2019
Abstract Chronic lung disease and admissions due to acute respiratory failure (ARF) are becoming increasingly common. Consequently, there is a growing focus on optimizing respiratory support, particularly non-invasive respiratory support, to manage these conditions. High flow nasal therapy (HFNT) is a noninvasive technique where humidified and heated gas is delivered through the nose to the airways via small dedicated nasal prongs at flows that are higher than the rates usually applied during conventional oxygen therapy. HFNT enables to deliver different inspired oxygen fractions ranging from 0.21 to 1. Despite having only recently become available, the use of HFNT in the adult population i…
Use of Cepheid Xpert Carba-R® for rapid detection of carbapenemase-producing bacteria in critically ill, abdominal surgical patients: first report of…
2015
Introduction Xpert Carba-R® (Cepheid®, USA) is a PCR-based assay for rapid (<1 hour) detection of bacteria carrying carbapenem-resistance genes (KPC, NDM, VIM, OXA-48, IMP-1). The aim of the study is to compare PCR with microbiological cultures in critically ill, abdominal surgical patients. Methods We performed an observational study at University Hospital 'P. Giaccone' Palermo. We enrolled abdominal surgical patients admitted to the ICU with suspected abdominal sepsis or developing sepsis during the ICU stay. We obtained two rectal swab specimens and two drainage samples to perform PCR assay and classic culture tests. We used Cohen's K to test concordance of results. We considered conc…
Fasting does not guarantee empty stomach in the intensive care unit: A prospective ultrasonographic evaluation (The NUTRIGUS study).
2021
BACKGROUND In the intensive care unit (ICU), a fasting period is usually respected to avoid gastric aspiration during airway management procedures. Since there are no recognised guidelines, intensive care physicians balance the aspiration risk with the negative consequences of underfeeding. Our objective was to determine the impact of fasting on gastric emptying in critically ill patients by using gastric ultrasound. MATERIAL AND METHODS Among the 112 patients that met the inclusion criteria, 100 patients were analysed. Gastric ultrasonography was performed immediately before extubation. Patients with either 1/ an absence of visualised gastric content (qualitative evaluation) or 2/ a gastri…
Posttraumatic Propofol Neurotoxicity Is Mediated via the Pro–Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor-p75 Neurotrophin Receptor Pathway in Adult Mice*
2016
Objectives:The gamma-aminobutyric acid modulator propofol induces neuronal cell death in healthy immature brains by unbalancing neurotrophin homeostasis via p75 neurotrophin receptor signaling. In adulthood, p75 neurotrophin receptor becomes down-regulated and propofol loses its neurotoxic effect. H
Spinal anaesthesia in a patient with post-spine surgery dural ectasia.
2013
Dural sac ectasia is a very infrequent anatomical abnormality, usually caused by connective tissue diseases, as Marfan syndrome. Very few cases have been described being a consequence of a previous spine surgical procedure. We describe the case of an elderly patient who should be operated on twice due to sub-occlusive colon disease. Surgery was performed under spinal anaesthesia. A dural sac ectasia was suspected after the first procedure and the abdominal X-ray was reviewed. The characteristics of the anatomical alteration and the course of both anaesthetic procedures were described. X-ray and CT images were provided.
Effect of combination therapy with hypothermia, magnesium and tirilazad in an experimental model of diffuse cerebral ischemia
2007
Objetivo. Valorar el grado de neuroprotección combinando hipotermia con magnesio y tirilazad en la isquemia cerebral global. La isquemia cerebral es uno de los problemas de mayor interés en la actualidad con unas medidas terapéuticas limitadas. La utilización de la hipotermia, una de las más eficaces, junto con los fármacos neuroprotectores puede ser una alternativa válida. Diseño. Estudio experimental con grupo control y dos niveles de aplicación de medidas terapéuticas. Ámbito. Laboratorio experimental de la Facultad de Medicina. Participantes y método. Veintiocho ratas Wistar sufrieron isquemia cerebral global de 10 minutos de duración mediante la combinación del clampaje carotídeo bilat…