2014 Dec - Acute kidney injury with hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.42 in severe sepsis

Müller RB, Haase N, Lange T, Wetterslev J, Perner A.; Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2014 Dec 18.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to detail the effects of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) vs. Ringer's on kidney function including the interaction with mortality in post-hoc analyses as resuscitation with HES 130/0.42 increased mortality in the Scandinavian Starch for Severe Sepsis/Septic Shock (6S) trial.

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2014 Dec - Continuous Hemodiafiltration with a Cytokine-Adsorbing Hemofilter in Patients with Septic Shock: A Preliminary Report

Shiga H, Hirasawa H, Nishida O, Oda S, Nakamura M, Mashiko K, Matsuda K, Kitamura N, Kikuchi Y, Fuke N.; Blood Purif. 2014 Dec 19;38(3-4):211-218. [Epub ahead of print]

Background/Aim: We investigated the clinical efficacy of continuous hemodiafiltration (CHDF) with AN69ST hemofilter (AN69ST-CHDF) in patients with septic shock.

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2014 Dec -Early versus delayed oral fluids and food for reducing complications after major abdominal gynaecologic surgery

 Charoenkwan K, Matovinovic E. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Dec 12;12:CD004508. [Epub ahead of print]

BACKGROUND: This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review published in 2007. Traditionally, after major abdominal gynaecologic surgery postoperative oral intake is withheld until the return of bowel function. There has been concern that early oral intake would result in vomiting and severe paralytic ileus with subsequent aspiration pneumonia, wound dehiscence, and anastomotic leakage. However, evidence-based clinical studies suggest that there may be benefits from early postoperative oral intake.

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2014 Dec - Graduated compression stockings for prevention of deep vein thrombosis

Sachdeva A, Dalton M, Amaragiri SV, Lees T. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Dec 17;12:CD001484. [Epub ahead of print]

BACKGROUND: One of the settings where deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the lower limb and pelvic veins occurs is in hospital with prolonged immobilisation of patients for various surgical and medical illnesses. Using graduated compression stockings (GCS) in these patients has been proposed to decrease the risk of DVT. This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2000 and updated in 2010.

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2014 Feb - Single dilator vs. guide wire dilating forceps tracheostomy: a meta-analysis of randomised trials

Cabrini L, Landoni G, Greco M, Costagliola R, Monti G, Colombo S, Greco T, Pasin L, Borghi G, Zangrillo A.; Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2014 Feb;58(2):135-42.

BACKGROUND: Single dilator technique (SDT) and guide wire dilating forceps (GWDF) are the two most commonly used techniques of percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) in critically ill adult patients. We performed a meta-analysis of randomised, controlled trials comparing intraoperative, mid-term and late complications of these two techniques.

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2014 Oct - Ventilator-associated conditions versus ventilator-associated pneumonia: different by design

Klompas M.; Curr Infect Dis Rep. 2014 Oct;16(10):430.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new surveillance concept called ventilator-associated conditions (VACs) in early 2013. VAC was created to overcome some of the limitations of traditional ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) definitions, including their complexity, subjectivity, and insensitivity to complications other than pneumonia. VAC is defined by sustained increases in ventilator support after ≥2 days of stable or decreasing settings. The VAC definition was designed to be objective, reproducible, and amenable to automated analysis...

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2014 Oct - Brain Tissue Oxygenation, Lactate-Pyruvate Ratio, and Cerebrovascular Pressure Reactivity Monitoring in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Systematic Review and Viewpoint

Lazaridis C, Andrews CM.; Neurocrit Care. 2014 Oct;21(2):345-55.

Background: Prevention and detection of secondary brain insults via multimodality neuromonitoring is a major goal in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

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2014 Oct - Intraventricular Tissue Plasminogen Activator in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Patients: A Prospective, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Trial

Kramer AH, Roberts DJ, Holodinsky J, Todd S, Hill MD, Zygun DA, Faris P, Wong JH.: Neurocrit Care. 2014 Oct;21(2):275-84.

Background: The quantity of subarachnoid (SAH) and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) occurring in the setting of a ruptured cerebral aneurysm is strongly associated with subsequent: complications and poor outcomes.

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2014 Oct - Therapeutic Temperature Modulation for Fever After Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Lord AS, Karinja S, Lantigua H, Carpenter A, Schmidt JM, Claassen J, Agarwal S, Connolly ES, Mayer SA, Badjatia N.; Neurocrit Care. 2014 Oct;21(2):200-6.

Background: We sought to determine whether therapeutic temperature modulation (TTM) to treat fever after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is associated with improved hospital complications and discharge outcomes.

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2014 Oct - Does Prone Positioning Increase Intracranial Pressure? A Retrospective Analysis of Patients with Acute Brain Injury and Acute Respiratory Failure

Roth C, Ferbert A, Deinsberger W, Kleffmann J, Kästner S, Godau J, Schüler M, Tryba M, Gehling M.; Neurocrit Care. 2014 Oct;21(2):186-91.

Purpose: The objective of our trial was to obtain more comprehensive data on the risks and benefits of kinetic therapy in intensive care patients with intracerebral pathology.

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2014 Aug - Direct molecular detection of pathogens in blood as specific rule-in diagnostic biomarker in patients with presumed sepsis: our experience on a heterogeneous cohort of patients with signs of infective systemic inflammatory response syndrome

Avolio M, Diamante P, Modolo ML, De Rosa R, Stano P, Camporese A.; Shock. 2014 Aug;42(2):86-92.

The practical value of blood cultures in the diagnosis of sepsis is impaired by a delay in the turnaround time to result and by the fact that blood culture positive can be found for only about 30% of these patients. Conventional laboratory signs of sepsis and acute phase protein biomarkers are sensitive and easy to use, but often also very nonspecific...

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2014 Sep - Fluid Overload in Patients with Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Treated with Early-Goal Directed Therapy is Associated with Increased Acute Need for Fluid-Related Medical Interventions and Hospital Death

Kelm DJ, Perrin JT, Cartin-Ceba R, Gajic O, Schenck L, Kennedy CC.; Shock. 2014 Sep 22. [Epub ahead of print]

Early-goal-directed therapy (EGDT) consists of early, aggressive fluid resuscitation and is known to improve survival in sepsis. It is unknown how often EGDT leads to subsequent fluid overload and whether post-EGDT fluid overload affects patients' outcomes. Our hypothesis was that septic patients treated with EGDT were at risk for fluid overload and that fluid overload would be associated with adverse outcomes...

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2014 Apr - Monitoring of the Adult Patient on Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

Chung M, Shiloh AL, Carlese A.; ScientificWorldJournal. 2014;2014:393258. Epub 2014 Apr 3.

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) provides mechanical support to the patient with cardiac or cardiopulmonary failure. This paper reviews the physiology of VA ECMO including the determinants of ECMO flow and gas exchange...

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2014 Junm - Corticosteroids in the management of brain-dead potential organ donors: a systematic review

Dupuis S, Amiel JA, Desgroseilliers M, Williamson DR, Thiboutot Z, Serri K, Perreault MM, Marsolais P, Frenette AJ.; Br J Anaesth. 2014 Jun 30.

Current guidelines recommend the administration of hormonal combination therapy including immunosuppressive doses of corticosteroids to donors with low left ventricular ejection fractions and to consider hormonal therapy administration to all donors. However, these recommendations are largely based on observational data. The aim of this systematic review (SR) was to assess the clinical efficacy and safety of corticosteroids in brain-dead potential organ donors....

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2014 Apr - Levosimendan in Critical Illness: A Literature Review

Pierrakos C, Velissaris D, Franchi F, Muzzi L, Karanikolas M, Scolletta S. J Clin Med Res. 2014 Apr;6(2):75-85.

Levosimendan, the active enantiomer of simendan, is a calcium sensitizer developed for treatment of decompensated heart failure, exerts its effects independently of the beta adrenergic receptor and seems beneficial in cases of severe, intractable heart failure...

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2014 Apr - Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the adult: a review of anticoagulation monitoring and transfusion

Esper SA, Levy JH, Waters JH, Welsby IJ. Anesth Analg. 2014 Apr;118(4):731-43.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a method of life support to maintain cardiopulmonary function. Its use as a medical application has increased since its inception to treat multiple conditions including acute respiratory distress syndrome, myocardial ischemia, cardiomyopathy, and septic shock. While complications including neurological and renal injury occur in patients on ECMO, bleeding and coagulopathy are most common...

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2014 Jul - Polyclonal intravenous immunoglobulin: An important additional strategy in sepsis?

Di Rosa R, Pietrosanti M, Luzi G, Salemi S, D'Amelio R. Eur J Intern Med. 2014 Jul;25(6):511-516.

Sepsis syndrome is characterized by a systemic inflammatory response to infection potentially leading to acute organ failure and rapid decline to death. Polyclonal intravenous immune globulin, a blood product derived from human donor blood, in addition to antiinfective activities, also exerts a broad antiinflammatory and immunomodulating effect. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) has been proposed as adjuvant therapy for sepsis even though the clinical studies demonstrating their efficacy and safety are relatively small...

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2014 Jun - Glucose and the injured brain-monitored in the neurointensive care unit

Rostami E. Front Neurol. 2014 Jun 6;5:91.

Cerebral microdialysis (CMD) is a laboratory tool that provides on-line analysis of brain biochemistry via a thin, fenestrated, double-lumen dialysis catheter that is inserted into the interstitium of the brain. A solute is slowly infused into the catheter at a constant velocity...

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2014 Feb - The Ketamine Effect on ICP in Traumatic Brain Injury

Zeiler FA, Teitelbaum J, West M, Gillman LM. Neurocrit Care. 2014 Feb 11.

Our goal was to perform a systematic review of the literature on the use of ketamine in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its effects on intracranial pressure (ICP).

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2014 Feb - Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation versus conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation in adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A prospective observational study

SAVE-J Study Group, Sakamoto T, Morimura N, Nagao K, Asai Y, Yokota H, Nara S, Hase M, Tahara Y, Atsumi T.; Resuscitation. 2014 Feb 12.

BACKGROUND: A favorable neurological outcome is likely to be achieved in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients with ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VF/VT) on the initial electrocardiogram (ECG). However, in patients without pre-hospital restoration of spontaneous circulation despite the initial VF/VT, the outcome is extremely low by conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Extracorporeal CPR (ECPR) may enhance cerebral blood flow and recovery of neurological function. We prospectively examined how ECPR for OHCA with VF/VT would affect neurological outcomes.

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