OBJECTIVE To investigate the value of the Parsonnet score (PS) in identifying preoperatively patients that are likely to spend < 24 hours on the intensive care unit (ICU) following cardiac surgery. METHOD Prospectively collected data on 5591 patients were analysed. PS, mortality, the length of stay on the ICU (ICU-LOS), number of patients with clinical evidence of stroke, need for haemofiltra...

BACKGROUND Prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay is a predictor of mortality. The length of ICU stay has never been considered as a variable in an additive scoring system. How could this variable be integrated into a scoring system? Does this integration improve mortality prediction? MATERIAL AND METHODS The 'modified CArdiac SUrgery Score' (CASUS) was generated by implementing the length of...

Clinical assessment of disease severity is an important part of Background: medical practice for prediction of mortality and morbidity in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). A disease severity scoring system can be used as guidance for clinicians for objective assessment of disease outcomes and estimation of the chance of recovery. This study aimed to evaluate the hypothesis that the mortality and lengt...

CONTEXT Various predictors have been used to predict diabetic patients who are likely to have increased ventilatory hours and an increased length of stay (LOS) in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as well as in the hospital after undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, for example, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). The authors propose a simple bed-side test, i.e., the prayer sign ...

The epidemiology of acute kidney injury (AKI) has been difficult to explore in the past, due to different definitions across various studies. Nevertheless, this is a very important topic today in light of the high morbidity and mortality of critically ill patients presenting renal dysfunction during their stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). The case mix has changed over the years, and AKI is...

BACKGROUND Patients admitted to intensive care units are frequently exposed to pathogenic microorganisms present in their environment. Exposure to these microbes may lead to the development of hospital-acquired infections that complicate the illness and may be fatal. Amoeba-associated microorganisms (AAMs) are frequently isolated from hospital water networks and are reported to be associated to...

Sleep deprivation is common in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The criterion standard for sleep monitoring, polysomnography, is impractical in ICU. Actigraphy (a wrist watch indicating amount of sleep) proved to be a good alternative in non-ICU patients, but not in prolonged mechanically ventilated patients, probably due to ICU-acquired weakness. Short-stay ICU patients do not suffer from I...

OBJECTIVE To study the incidence and severity of organ dysfunction associated with sepsis. DESIGN Comprehensive review of prospectively collected data from intensive care patients hospitalized between 1997 and 2001. SETTING Thirty-five ICUs in nonuniversity and university hospitals located in the Paris area. PATIENTS All patients hospitalized in the ICU for > 24 h meeting the criteria for...

BACKGROUND Intensive care unit (ICU) readmission after cardiac surgery is believed to be associated with higher in-hospital mortality and may predict poor outcomes. ICU readmissions use resources and increase treatment costs. AIM To determine reasons for readmission to ICU, evaluate outcomes in these patients, and identify factors predisposing to the need for readmission to ICU. METHODS We ...

OBJECTIVES To describe the occurrence of delirium in a cohort of older medical intensive care unit (ICU) patients and its short-term duration in the hospital and to determine the association between preexisting dementia and the occurrence of delirium. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Fourteen-bed medical ICU of an 800-bed university teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS One hundred eigh...