18 Mar 10
Posted in Sepsis at 0:02 by Laci
By C Pierrakos and J-L Vincent
Critical Care 2010, 14:R15
Biomarkers can be useful for identifying or ruling out sepsis, identifying patients who may benefit from specific therapies or assessing the response to therapy.
Methods
We used an electronic search of the PubMed database using the key words “sepsis” and “biomarker” to identify clinical and experimental studies which evaluated a biomarker in sepsis.
Results
The search retrieved 3370 references covering 178 different biomarkers.
Conclusions
Many biomarkers have been evaluated for use in sepsis. Most of the biomarkers had been tested clinically, primarily as prognostic markers in sepsis; relatively few have been used for diagnosis. None has sufficient specificity or sensitivity to be routinely employed in clinical practice. PCT and CRP have been most widely used, but even these have limited ability to distinguish sepsis from other inflammatory conditions or to predict outcome.
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16 Mar 10
Posted in Mechanical ventilation, Sedation at 0:22 by Laci
By T Strøm, T Martinussen, P Toft
The Lancet 2010;375:475-480
Standard treatment of critically ill patients undergoing mechanical ventilation is continuous sedation. Daily interruption of sedation has a benefi cial eff ect, and in the general intesive care unit of Odense University Hospital, Denmark, standard practice is a protocol of no sedation. We aimed to establish whether duration of mechanical ventilation could be reduced with a protocol of no sedation versus daily interruption of sedation.
Methods
Of 428 patients assessed for eligibility, we enrolled 140 critically ill adult patients who were undergoing mechanical ventilation and were expected to need ventilation for more than 24 h. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio (unblinded) to receive: no sedation (n=70 patients); or sedation (20 mg/mL propofol for 48 h, 1 mg/mL midazolam thereafter) with daily interruption until awake (n=70, control group). Both groups were treated with bolus doses of morphine (2·5 or 5 mg). The primary outcome was the number of days without mechanical ventilation in a 28-day period, and we also recorded the length of stay in the intensive care unit (from admission to 28 days) and in hospital (from admission to 90 days). Analysis was by intention to treat.
Findings
27 patients died or were successfully extubated within 48 h, and, as per our study design, were excluded from the study and statistical analysis. Patients receiving no sedation had signifi cantly more days without ventilation (n=55; mean 13·8 days, SD 11·0) than did those receiving interrupted sedation (n=58; mean 9·6 days, SD 10·0; mean diff erence 4·2 days, 95% CI 0·3–8·1; p=0·0191). No sedation was also associated with a shorter stay in the intensive care unit (HR 1·86, 95% CI 1·05–3·23; p=0·0316), and, for the fi rst 30 days studied, in hospital (3·57, 1·52–9·09; p=0·0039), than was interrupted sedation. No diff erence was recorded in the occurrences of accidental extubations, the need for CT or MRI brain scans, or ventilator-associated pneumonia. Agi tat ed delirium was more frequent in the intervention group than in the control group (n=11, 20% vs n=4, 7%; p=0·0400).
Interpretation
No sedation of critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation is associated with an increase in days without ventilation. A multicentre study is needed to establish whether this eff ect can be reproduced in other facilities.
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11 Mar 10
Posted in General at 7:52 by Laci
By K Polderman
Intensive Care Med 2004;30:556–575
Hypothermia has been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times. This paper reviews the current potential clinical applications for mild hypothermia (32–35oC).
Design and setting
Induced hypothermia is used mostly to prevent or attenuate neurological injury, and has been used to provide neuroprotection in traumatic brain injury, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, stroke, and various other disorders. The evidence for each of these applications is discussed, and the mechanisms underlying potential neuroprotective effects are reviewed. Some of this evidence comes from animal models, and a brief overview of these models and their limitations is included in this review.
Results
The duration of cooling and speed of re-warming appear to be key factors in determining whether hypothermia will be effective in preventing or mitigating neurological injury. Some other potential usages of hypothermia, such as its use in the perioperative setting and its application to mitigate cardiac injury following ischemia and reperfusion, are also discussed. Conclusions: Although induced hypothermia appears to be a highly promising treatment, it should be emphasized that it is associated with a number of potentially serious side effects, which may negate some or all of its potential benefits. Prevention and/or early treatment of these complications are the key to successful use of hypothermia in clinical practice. These side effects, as well as various physiological changes induced by cooling, are discussed in a separate review.
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Posted in Hypothermia at 7:50 by Laci
By K Polderman
Intensive Care Med 2004;30:757–769
Induced hypothermia can be used to protect the brain from post-ischemic and traumatic neurological injury. Potential clinical applications and the available evidence are discussed in a separate paper. This review focuses on the practical aspects of cooling and physiological changes induced by hypothermia, as well as the potential side effects that may develop. These side effects can be serious and, if not properly dealt with, may negate some or all of hypothermia’s potential benefits. However, many of these side effects can be prevented or modified by high-quality intensive care treatment, which should include careful monitoring of fluid balance, tight control of metabolic aspects such as glucose and electrolyte levels, prevention of infectious complications and various other interventions. The speed and duration of cooling and rate of rewarming are key factors in determining whether hypothermia will be effective; however, the risk of side effects also increases with longer duration. Realizing hypothermia’s full therapeutic potential will therefore require meticulous attention to the prevention and/or early treatment of side effects, as well as a basic knowledge and understanding of the underlying physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms. These and other, related issues are dealt with in this review.
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