Conduction disturbances Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) frequently have conduction disturbances because of their acute medical condition or underlying risk factors. The clinical manifestation varies broadly from asymptomatic to life-threatening events. Locating and understanding the conduction disturbances…
Cardiac arrhythmias are common in critically ill patients and a frequent reason for hospital admission to areas with capability for continuous electrocardiographic monitoring and personnel trained in their recognition and management (e.g., intensive care units [ICUs] and telemetry units). Arrhythmias…
Classification and epidemiology Supraventricular arrhythmias include rhythms arising from the sinus node and the adjacent atrial tissue (inappropriate sinus tachycardia, sinoatrial reentry tachycardia), both the right and left atria (atrial tachycardia, flutter, and fibrillation), the atrioventricular (AV) node (AV nodal…
Definition and clinical manifestations Acute coronary syndromes are a family of disorders that share similar pathogenic mechanisms and represent different points along a common continuum. They include ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non–ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS), and…
Introduction Metabolism in almost all living organisms is energized by the chemical reduction of oxygen (O 2 ). As such, provision of O 2 to tissues is of central importance for living beings, especially in the high O 2 consumption…
Definitions Nosocomial pneumonia is an infection of the pulmonary parenchyma caused by pathogens acquired in hospital settings. , Nosocomial pneumonia develops in patients admitted to the hospital for more than 48 hours, and the incubation period usually is no longer…
Introduction The term pneumothorax was first coined by Itard in 1803. Pneumothorax is defined as the presence of air in the pleural space. Traditionally, pneumothorax has been categorized into primary, secondary, traumatic, and iatrogenic. Spontaneous pneumothorax is considered “primary” when…
Introduction Venous thromboembolism (VTE) encompasses the continuum of disease that includes deep venous thrombosis (DVT; also sometimes referred to as deep vein thrombosis ) and pulmonary embolism (PE). The prototypical VTE event occurs when a blood clot forms in the…
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a major cause of death and disability worldwide, is one of the most common reasons for intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Several monographs review this complex disorder in some detail. , The intensivist’s view of…
Magnitude of the problem and risk factors Each year in the United States, acute asthma accounts for approximately 1.8 million emergency department (ED) visits, 190,000 hospitalizations, and 3500 deaths. Although death rates have decreased slightly over the last 20 years,…