Monitoring of extubated patients: are routine arterial blood gas measurements useful and how long should patients be monitored in the intensive care unit?
The authors aimed to investigate whether serial arterial blood gas measurements done in the post-extubation period would help to identify patients requiring restitution of ventilatory support and to determine the optimal duration of close monitoring post-extubation. One hundred and fifteen adult patients were retrospectively analysed. Arterial blood gases were measured at one and three hours post-extubation and patients were followed [...]
Lung Opening and Closing during Ventilation of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
This study was desgined to determine how lung recruitability influences alveolar strain and intratidal opening and closing after the application of high PEEP. Data from 68 patients with acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) who underwent whole-lung computed tomography at 5, 15, and 45 cm H2O airway pressure was analysed. In patients with a higher [...]
Consequences of bed rest
This article gives an overview of the consequences of bed rest and possible treatment options for reducing these consequences. Brower, RG. CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE 2009; 37 (10): S422 – S428
Intensive care unit-acquired weakness: Risk factors and prevention
 In this article the authors discuss the risk factors for and the prevention of intensive care unit-acquired weakness.  Five main risk factors for  intensive care unit-acquired weakness have been identified. These include multiple organ failure, muscle inactivity, hyperglycemia, and use of corticosteroids and neuromuscular blockers. The authors point out that although strong evidence regarding the efficacy of preventive measures is [...]
Measurement of muscle strength in the intensive care unit
This paper explores the measures available to assess and predict intensive care unit-acquired muscle weakness. The discussion centres around the selection of the appropriate muscle to test in order to make adequate predictions of a patient’s outcome. The authors propose that the upper airway dilators are much more susceptible to a decrease in muscle strength than [...]
Noninvasive Ventilation Reduces Intubation in Chest Trauma-Related Hypoxemia – A randomized Clinical Trial
This single-center randomized clinical trial set out to determine if non invasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) reduced the incidence of intubation in severe chest trauma-related hypoxemia.  Patients with Pao2/Fio2<200 for >8h while receiving oxygen by high-flow mask within the first 48 h after thoracic trauma were included in the study. After 25 patients were enrolled in each group, the trial [...]
Does an Obese Body Mass Index Affect Hospital Outcomes After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery?
A retrospective examination of data in a cohort of 10590 patients admitted for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery between 2003 and 2007 was examined to determine body mass index (BMI). Regression analysis was conducted to determine whether BMI was an independent predictor of morbidity and mortality after CABG. The results found that CABG patients in [...]
Prone Positioning in Patients With Moderate and Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
The goal of the Prone-Supine II Study was to evaluate possible outcome benefits of prone positioning in patients with ARDS and moderate or severe hypoxemia. From February 2004 through June 2008, a total of 342 adults with ARDS receiving mechanical ventilation at 23 centers in Italy and 2 in Spain were enrolled and prospectively stratified [...]
Surviving critical illness: acute respiratory distress syndrome as experienced by patients and their caregivers.
This study attempted to determine and characterize the effects of critical illness in the daily lives and functioning of acute respiratory distress syndrome survivors. Survivors and Caregivers were interviewed 3 to 9 months after intensive care admission. Participants related five key elements of experience as survivors of acute respiratory distress syndrome: 1) pervasive memories of critical care; 2) [...]
Exploration of patients’ perspectives of quality within an extended scope physiotherapists’ spinal screening service
The objective of this study was to assess the impact of an outpatient physiotherapy-led rehabilitation programme on exercise capacity and anxiety and depression scores in a cohort of adult intensive care survivors. In a prospective study in a teaching hospital, 38 general intensive care survivors following hospital discharge underwent an established physiotherapy-led outpatient rehabilitation programme. [...]
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