Coma Disorders of altered consciousness present a diagnostic dilemma to the clinician in the critical care setting. They represent a wide of range of pathology that can be systemic in nature or the result of structural or nonstructural intracranial pathology.…
Introduction Little can be done to reverse the primary brain damage caused by an insult; however, one of the major factors influencing outcome in patients with acute brain injury is the additional brain damage that occurs from secondary brain injury…
Critically ill patients typically have anorexia and are frequently unable to take oral diets. Therefore micronutrients and macronutrients should be prescribed as enteral or parenteral nutrition. The catabolic response of critical illness is characterized by inflammatory and endocrine stress responses…
Introduction Use of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) for respiratory and/or cardiac failure continues to increase, with almost 500 Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) centers worldwide and almost 100,000 patients now added to the ELSO registry. In actuality, ECLS use is…
Definitions Hypothermia is defined as a core body temperature lower than 36°C, regardless of the cause. Within hypothermia we can still distinguish mild (i.e., between 35°C and 32°C), moderate (i.e., between 32°C and 28°C), severe (i.e., between 28°C and 24°C),…
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Epidemiologic data suggest that over 50% of ICU patients suffer from AKI, and up to 13.5% will be treated with renal…
Mechanical ventilatory support provides pressure and flow to the airways to help accomplish oxygen (O 2 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) transport between the environment and the pulmonary capillary bed. The overall clinical goal of mechanical ventilation is…
Indications Airway access for the treatment of upper airway obstruction or mechanical ventilation (MV) can be obtained by either orotracheal intubation (OTI) or placement of a tracheostomy tube. During general anesthesia or after episodes of acute respiratory failure, patients are…
Introduction Tracheal intubation is a commonly performed, high-risk procedure in critically ill patients. There are important differences between elective intubation in the operating room compared with emergency intubation in the intensive care unit (ICU). Risks associated with emergent intubation in…
Although arterial blood gas (ABG) data provide critical information to the practitioners of critical care medicine, ABG analysis is among the most frequently ordered test in the intensive care unit (ICU), is overused, and is associated with burdens to our…