10 Agosto 2001

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Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2001 Jun;163(7):1755-6

Effect of unplanned extubation on outcome of mechanical ventilation.

Kapadia F

Publication Types:

  • Letter

PMID: 11401899, UI: 21294719


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Anaesthesia 2001 Jul;56(7):670-5

A pilot study to investigate the effects of an infusion of aminophylline on renal function following major abdominal surgery.

Parker MR, Willatts SM

Department of Anaesthetics, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol BS2 8HW, UK.

Acute renal failure is a frequent complication of critical illness and optimal preventive therapy remains elusive. There is increasing evidence from animal models and some human studies that adenosine receptor antagonism by aminophylline may reduce the severity of renal impairment caused by a variety of aetiologies. We studied the renal effects of intravenous aminophylline in an unblinded, within-patient study of 20 patients admitted to a general intensive care unit following major surgery. We demonstrated that there were no adverse cardiovascular complications related to aminophylline therapy. Renal sodium and osmolar clearance increased with a non-significant trend towards increased diuresis during treatment. Creatinine clearance, however, was unchanged but the study was not designed and did not have the power to test whether aminophylline increased renal blood flow or glomerular filtration rate. We suggest the renal actions of aminophylline in critical illness merit further investigation.

Publication Types:

  • Clinical trial
  • Controlled clinical trial

PMID: 11437769, UI: 21331122


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Anaesthesist 2001 Jun;50(6):436-41

[Bicycling versus intensive care units--twice "hemoglobin doping"]?

[Article in German]

Welte M, Schaffartzik W

Klinik fur Anaesthesiologie und operative Intensivmedizin, Klinikum Benjamin Franklin der Freien Universitat Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin. welte@medizin.fu-berlin.de

Publication Types:

  • Review
  • Review, tutorial

PMID: 11458726, UI: 21352364


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Anaesthesist 2001 May;50(5):329-32

[Malignant neuroleptic syndrome after haloperidol administration].

[Article in German]

Gerbershagen MU, Ito WD, Wappler F, Fiege M, Schulte am Esch J

Klinik fur Anasthesiologie, Universitatsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg. gerbershagen@uke.uni-hamburg.de

The neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a rare complication of antipsychotic therapy. We report on a 65-year-old patient who was treated with haloperidol, diazepam and mirtazapin because of a severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms. He exhibited most of the signs and symptoms characteristic of NMS, e.g.: hyperthermia, rigidity, elevated creatine phosphokinase, leukocytosis, elevated liver enzymes, reduced consciousness and autonomic nervous system disturbances. A secondary pneumonia was diagnosed 2 days after the onset of the NMS, which might have been due to chest wall rigidity. Intensive care treatment consisted of immediate discontinuation of the offending agent, supportive therapy with rehydratation and catecholamines as well as application of dantrolen. After 23 days of intensive therapy all pathological parameters were normalised and the patient was transferred to an internal ward. Three main theories on the pathogenesis of NMS exist: 1. blockade of central receptors, 2. a skeletal muscle target model and 3. sympathoadrenal hyperactivity. The differential diagnosis includes among others malignant hyperthermia and serotonin syndrome.

PMID: 11417268, UI: 21310941


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Ann Intern Med 2001 Aug 7;135(3):175-83

The effect of vancomycin and third-generation cephalosporins on prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in 126 U.S. adult intensive care units.

Fridkin SK, Edwards JR, Courval JM, Hill H, Tenover FC, Lawton R, Gaynes RP, McGowan JE Jr

Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MS A-35, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. skf0@cdc.gov

BACKGROUND: Patient-specific risk factors for acquisition of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) among hospitalized patients are becoming well defined. However, few studies have reported data on the institutional risk factors, including rates of antimicrobial use, that predict rates of VRE. Identifying modifiable institutional factors can advance quality-improvement efforts to minimize hospital-acquired infections with VRE. OBJECTIVE: To determine the independent importance of any association between antimicrobial use and risk factors for nosocomial infection on rates of VRE in intensive care units (ICUs). DESIGN: Prospective ecologic study. SETTING: 126 adult ICUs from 60 U.S. hospitals from January 1996 through July 1999. PATIENTS: All patients admitted to participating ICUs. MEASUREMENTS: Monthly use of antimicrobial agents (defined daily doses per 1000 patient-days), nosocomial infection rates, and susceptibilities of all tested enterococci isolated from clinical cultures. RESULTS: Prevalence of VRE (median, 10%; range, 0% to 59%) varied by type of ICU and by teaching status and size of the hospital. Prevalence of VRE was strongly associated with VRE prevalence among inpatient non-ICU areas and outpatient areas in the hospital, ventilator-days per 1000 patient-days, and rate of parenteral vancomycin use. In a weighted linear regression model controlling for type of ICU and rates of VRE among non-ICU inpatient areas, rates of vancomycin use (P < 0.001) and third-generation cephalosporin use (P = 0.02) were independently associated with VRE prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: Higher rates of vancomycin or third-generation cephalosporin use were associated with increased prevalence of VRE, independent of other ICU characteristics and the endemic VRE prevalence elsewhere in the hospital. Decreasing the use rates of these antimicrobial agents could reduce rates of VRE in ICUs.

PMID: 11487484, UI: 21379786


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Br J Anaesth 2001 Aug;87(2):186-92

Sedative and analgesic practice in the intensive care unit: the results of a European survey.

Soliman HM, Melot C, Vincent JL

Department of Intensive Care, Erasme University Hospital, Free University of Brussels, Route de Lennik 808, B-1070 Brussels, BelgiumCorresponding author.

[Medline record in process]

Sedation and analgesia are important aspects of patient care on the intensive care unit (ICU), yet relatively little information is available on common sedative and analgesic practice. We sought to assess international differences in the prescription of sedative and analgesic drugs in western European ICUs by means of a short, self-administered questionnaire. Six hundred and forty-seven intensive care physicians from 16 western European countries replied to the questionnaire. Midazolam was used as a sedative often or always by 63% of respondents and propofol by 35%. There were considerable international variations, with midazolam being preferred over propofol in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Austria. For analgesia, the drugs most commonly used were morphine (33%), fentanyl (33%) and sufentanil (24%). Morphine was preferred over fentanyl and sufentanil in Norway, UK and Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Spain and Portugal. Fentanyl was preferred in France, Germany and Italy. Sufentanil was preferred in Belgium and Luxemburg and in Austria. Multivariate analysis showed that the combination of midazolam with fentanyl was most often used in France; propofol with morphine in Sweden, the UK and Ireland, and Switzerland; midazolam with morphine in Norway; and propofol with sufentanil in Belgium and Luxemburg, Germany and Italy. The use of a sedation scale varied from 72% in the UK and Ireland to 18% in Austria. When used, the most common sedation scale was the Ramsay scale. This study demonstrates substantial international differences in sedative and analgesic practices in western European ICUs. Br J Anaesth 2001; 87: 186-92

PMID: 11493487, UI: 21384799


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Br J Anaesth 2001 Jul;87(1):155-6

Right heart catheterization in intensive care.

Heneghan C

Publication Types:

  • Letter

PMID: 11460807, UI: 21353872


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Pediatrics 2001 Aug;108(2):426-31

Are neonatal intensive care resources located according to need? regional variation in neonatologists, beds, and low birth weight newborns.

Goodman DC, Fisher ES, Little GA, Stukel TA, Chang Ch

Department of Pediatrics, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire.

[Medline record in process]

Objective. Despite marked growth in neonatal intensive care during the past 30 years, it is not known if neonatologists and beds are preferentially located in regions with greater newborn risk. This study reports the relationship between regional measures of intensive care capacity and low birth weight infants using newly developed market-based regions of neonatal intensive care. Design. Cross-sectional small-area analysis of 246 neonatal intensive care regions (NICRs). Data Sources. 1996 American Medical Association and American Osteopathic Association masterfiles data of clinically active neonatologists; 1999 American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Perinatal Pediatrics survey of directors of neonatal intensive care units in the United States with 100% response rate; 1995 linked birth/death data. Results. The number of total births per neonatologist across NICRs ranged from 390 to 8197 (median: 1722) and the number of total births per intensive care bed ranged from 72 to 1319 (median: 317). The associations between capacity measures and low birth weight rates across NICRs were statistically significant but negligible (R(2): 0.04 for neonatologists; 0.05 for beds). NICRs in the quintile with the greatest neonatologist capacity (average of only 863 births per neonatologist) had very low birth weight (VLBW) rates of 1.5% while those in the quintile of lowest neonatologist capacity (average of 3718 births per neonatologist) had VLBW rates of 1.3%; a similar lack of meaningful difference in VLBW rates was noted across quintiles of intensive care bed capacity. Including midlevel providers and intermediate care beds to the analyses did not alter the findings. Conclusions. Neonatal intensive care capacity is not preferentially located in regions with greater newborn need as measured by low birth weight rates. Whether greater capacity affords benefits to the newborns remains unknown.

PMID: 11483810, UI: 21376732


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Pediatrics 2001 Apr;107(4):648-55

Effect of a statewide neonatal resuscitation training program on Apgar scores among high-risk neonates in Illinois.

Patel D, Piotrowski ZH, Nelson MR, Sabich R

Catholic Health Partners-Saint Joseph Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

OBJECTIVE: The national Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), started in 1987, provided training to hospital delivery room personnel to standardize knowledge and skills to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality and increase successful resuscitation during the first few critical minutes after birth. The Apgar score continues to be used as the best established index of immediate postnatal health. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the NRP instruction in Illinois hospitals by examining Apgar scores among high-risk infants who are likely to benefit from the NRP. METHODS: A retrospective 3-time period cohort design was used (before the introduction of the NRP, 1985-1988; transition when NRP training occurred, 1989-1990; and after NRP training was completed at least once for some delivery room personnel in each Illinois hospital, 1991-1995). Illinois computerized birth certificate files on a selected group of 636 429 high-risk neonates provided information on Apgar scores and maternal characteristics. The American Academy of Pediatrics provided instructor lists to determine when NRP training started and when it was fully implemented in Illinois. Illinois Department of Public Health provided data to categorize hospitals into levels based on type and intensity of neonatal services (Level I, II, II+, III). High-risk neonates were defined as meeting 1 of the following criteria: maternal age <20 years old or >35 years old, birth weight <2500 g or >4000 g, presence of a maternal medical risk factor, and no prenatal care or prenatal care started after the first trimester. Several exclusion criteria were applied including the following: birth records with missing data, multiple birth or congenital anomaly, and hospital information that indicate no birth deliveries in 1 of the 11 study years or delivery outside of a hospital. One-minute and 5-minute Apgar scores were divided into categories for analysis (0-3, 4-6, 7-10). No change or a decrease in a low (0-6) 1-minute Apgar when compared with the 5-minute Apgar was a primary measure to evaluate effect of NRP resuscitation. Variables examined included the following: race/ethnicity, maternal age, level of education, presence of maternal medical risk factor, trimester started prenatal care, complications of labor and delivery, and a low birth weight. Analysis consisted of chi(2) tests, relative risk calculations, and logistic regression to reveal independent associations with no change in low 1-minute Apgar score or continued low (0-6) 5-minute Apgar. RESULTS: A total of 636 429 high-risk birth records was selected for detailed analyses out of 2 077 533 births in Illinois between 1985 and 1995 for 193 hospitals. The number of active NRP instructors in Illinois changed dramatically during the study period; for example, 1 to 6 between 1987 and 1988 to 1096 to 1242 between 1991 and 1995. The percentage of neonates reported to have low (<7) 1-minute Apgar score decreased in 1991 to 1995 overall and for each of 4 hospital levels. Overall and by hospital level, there was a statistically significant lower proportion of high-risk newborns who showed a decrease or no change in their 5-minute Apgar scores after the NRP instruction. After adjusting for several maternal characteristics, logistic regression analysis revealed that high-risk newborns with a low 1-minute Apgar were more likely to increase their 5-minute Apgar after the NRP instruction in 1991 to 1995. Additional analyses indicated that very low birth weight and low birth weight newborns benefited the most from NRP instruction. CONCLUSION: Although previous research has shown that the NRP instruction improves knowledge and skill among health care personnel in the delivery room, both short-term and long-term, there has been little evidence to demonstrate NRP impact on infant morbidity. Several strategies were used in this study to control for bias and to adjust for secular trends in decreased infant morbidity during the study period. This study demonstrated sufficient support for the hypothesis that a significant improvement occurred among neonates in their Apgar score after the NRP instruction in Illinois. Empirical support is provided for the clinical effectiveness of NRP instruction.

PMID: 11335738, UI: 21267183


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