2011 Oct - Increased blood troponin levels in ICU patients [Review]

Markou N, Gregorakos L, Myrianthefs P.; Curr Opin Crit Care. 2011 Oct;17(5):454-63.
Purpose of review: Cardiac troponins in serum have become the biomarkers of choice for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Yet, troponin can also be elevated by a multitude of causes in the absence of overt myocardial ischemia. Such nonspecific elevations are particularly common in the critically ill. This article aims to provide information on the significance of troponin elevations in unselected critically ill patients and in patients with sepsis or septic shock.

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2011 Oct - Pulmonary hypertension in critical care [Review]

Gayat E, Mebazaa A.; Curr Opin Crit Care. 2011 Oct;17(5):439-48.
Purpose of review: To review the contemporary management of patients with pulmonary hypertension in critical care.

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2011 Oct - Mechanical assistance of the circulation during cardiogenic shock [Review]

Pitsis AA, Aikaterini VN.; Curr Opin Crit Care. 2011 Oct;17(5):425-38.
Purpose of review: Cardiogenic shock still has a grave prognosis. We present the recent advances in mechanical circulatory support (MCS) for the treatment of refractory cardiogenic shock.

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2011 Aug - Sudden cardiac death in young athletes and nonathletes [Review]

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2011 Apr - Acute-on-chronic liver failure: extracorporeal liver assist devices [Review]

Hassanein TI, Schade RR, Hepburn IS.; Curr Opin Crit Care. 2011 Apr;17(2):195-203.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), a syndrome precipitated by acute liver injury in patients with advanced cirrhosis, is associated with multiorgan dysfunction and high rates of mortality. Liver support systems have been developed in an attempt to improve survival of patients with ACLF by providing a bridge until recovery of the native liver function.

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2011 Apr - Diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and other immune-mediated neuropathies [Review]

Magy L, Mathis S, Vallat JM.; Curr Opin Crit Care. 2011 Apr;17(2):101-5.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Immune-mediated neuropathies are increasingly recognized as potential causes of disability. Their diagnostic criteria and management options are still a matter of debate. This review focuses on recent findings in the diagnostic and therapeutic management of these disorders and on their prognostic factors.

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2011 Apr - The acute management of intracerebral hemorrhage [Review]

Flower O, Smith M.; Curr Opin Crit Care. 2011 Apr;17(2):106-14.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is associated with high morbidity and mortality, providing substantial scope for improvements in outcome. This review will discuss recent developments and present consensus evidence for the management of ICH.

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2011 Apr - Critical care of poor-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage [Review]

Wartenberg KE.; Curr Opin Crit Care. 2011 Apr;17(2):85-93.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Early aggressive treatment of poor-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage patients has resulted in more favorable long-term outcomes. This article covers the aspects of neurocritical care management directed to the patient with poor-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage (Hunt and Hess 4 and 5) and outlines important prognostic features.

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2011 Feb - Spontaneously regulated vs. controlled ventilation of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome [Review]

Marini JJ.; Curr Opin Crit Care. 2011 Feb;17(1):24-9.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To present an updated discussion of those aspects of controlled positive pressure breathing and retained spontaneous regulation of breathing that impact the management of patients whose tissue oxygenation is compromised by acute lung injury.

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2011 Feb - Sedation, delirium and mechanical ventilation: the 'ABCDE' approach [Review]

Morandi A, Brummel NE, Ely EW.; Curr Opin Crit Care. 2011 Feb;17(1):43-9.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Delirium and ICU-acquired weakness are frequent in critically ill mechanically ventilated patients. The number of mechanically ventilated patients is increasing, placing more patients at risk for these adverse outcomes. Sedation is given to ensure comfort and to minimize distress, but is linked to delirium and immobility. We review recent findings on the management of mechanically ventilated patients focusing on strategies that may improve neurologic and functional outcomes in critically ill patients.

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2011 Feb - Ventilator-associated pneumonia: role of positioning [Review]

Li Bassi G, Torres A.; Curr Opin Crit Care. 2011 Feb;17(1):57-63.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a lung infection commonly acquired following tracheal intubation. This review assesses the role of the supine semirecumbent and the prone position as VAP preventive strategies and calls attention for further investigation on novel body positions that could potentially reduce risks of VAP.

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2010 Oct - Management of patients with coronary stents in the ICU [Review]

Brilakis ES, Banerjee S.; Curr Opin Crit Care. 2010 Oct;16(5):426-31.
Purpose of review: To review the contemporary management of patients with coronary stents in the ICU.

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2010 Aug - Evolving use of biomarkers for kidney injury in acute care settings [Review]

Ho E, Fard A, Maisel A.; Curr Opin Crit Care. 2010 Aug 21
PURPOSE OF REVIEW:
Acute kidney injury is increasingly recognized in acute care settings in more recent years. Proper diagnosis and risk stratification for acute kidney injury is necessary for carrying out appropriate and cost-effective treatments in patients with acute kidney injury. Kidney markers serve as diagnostic and prognostic tools to give physicians a more complete perspective of renal insult. The aim of this review is to highlight some of the evidence from recent studies, involving kidney markers and provide current opinion on the accuracy of these markers.

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2010 Aug - Prophylaxis, empirical and preemptive treatment of invasive candidiasis

Playford EG, Lipman J, Sorrell TC.; Curr Opin Crit Care. 2010 Aug 12.
Purpose of review: Invasive candidiasis remains an important infection for ICU patients, associated with poor clinical outcomes. It has been increasingly recognized that the traditional paradigm of culture-directed antifungal treatment is unsatisfactory, and that earlier antifungal intervention strategies, such as prophylaxis, preemptive therapy, and empiric therapy, are required to improve patient outcomes. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent supportive evidence for such strategies and to highlight the current challenges in their implementation.

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2010 Aug - Inotropes in cardiac patients: update 2011 [Review]

Parissis JT, Rafouli-Stergiou P, Stasinos V, Psarogiannakopoulos P, Mebazaa A.; Curr Opin Crit Care. 2010 Aug 12.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW:
ICU patients frequently develop low output syndromes due to cardiac dysfunction, myocardial injury, and inflammatory activation. Conventional inotropic agents seem to be useful in restoring hemodynamic parameters and improving peripheral organ perfusion, but can increase short-term and long-term mortality in these patients. Novel inotropes may be promising in the management of ICU patients, having no serious adverse effects. This review summarizes all the current knowledge about the use of conventional and new inotropic agents in various clinical entities of critically ill patients.

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2010 Aug - Blood product transfusion in the critical care setting [Review]

Kor, Daryl J; Gajic, Ognjen; Current Opinion in Critical Care. 16(4):309-316, August 2010.
Purpose of review: The past two decades have witnessed an extensive re-evaluation of transfusion therapy in the intensive care unit (ICU). The purpose of this review is to present the current state of knowledge regarding blood transfusion in the critically ill and to identify gaps in our current understanding for future research.

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2010 Aug - Fluid administration and the kidney [Review]

Prowle, John R; Bellomo, Rinaldo; Current Opinion in Critical Care. 16(4):332-336, August 2010.
Purpose of review: Intravenous fluids are widely administered in the ICU with the intention of preventing or ameliorating acute kidney injury (AKI). This review focuses on recent studies examining fluid administration and renal function in critical illness to critically examine conventional justifications for fluid administration.

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2010 Aug - Intravenous fluid resuscitation for the trauma patient [Review]

Roppolo, Lynn P; Wigginton, Jane G; Pepe, Paul E; Current Opinion in Critical Care. 16(4):283-288, August 2010.
Purpose of review: Although longstanding practice in trauma care has been to provide immediate, aggressive intravenous fluid resuscitation to injured patients with presumed internal hemorrhage, recent experimental and clinical data suggest a more discriminating approach that first considers concurrent head injury, hemodynamic stability, and the presence of potentially uncontrollable hemorrhage (e.g., deep truncal injury) versus a controllable source (e.g., distal extremity wound).

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2010 Aug - Fluid status and fluid responsiveness [Review]

Magder, Sheldon; Current Opinion in Critical Care. 16(4):289-296, August 2010.
Purpose of review: Fluid boluses are a key element of hemodynamic resuscitation, but overuse of fluids also can be harmful. It is thus important to understand how fluids actually improve clinical problems and how one can predict fluid responsiveness. It is also important to understand potential limitations of fluid therapy.

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2010 Jun - Postresuscitation care: entering a new era [Review]

Nolan, Jerry P; Soar, Jasmeet ;Current Opinion in Critical Care. 16(3):216-222, June 2010.
Purpose of review: The purpose of this study is to discuss recent data relating to the treatment of cardiac arrest survivors. This is a rapidly evolving component of resuscitation medicine that impacts significantly on the quality of survival after cardiac arrest.

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