BACKGROUND Outcomes for very old patients (≥ 80 years) referred but not admitted to an intensive care unit have not been described in Australia and New Zealand. OBJECTIVE To ascertain long-term (12-month) outcomes for very old patients urgently referred for ICU support at a tertiary referral hospital. DESIGN, SETTING AND PATIENTS A retrospective, medical record review of 1240 very old patie...

BACKGROUND Intensive care unit (ICU) patients often need blood transfusion, but no reliable predictors of transfusion requirements are available at ICU admission. The authors hypothesized that ICU patients with functional iron deficiency may be at higher risk for developing anemia, requiring blood transfusion. Their objective was to determine whether low reticulocyte hemoglobin content (CHr) wa...

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND The impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-infected patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) remains controversial. We evaluate impact of HAART prescription in HIV-infected patients admitted to the ICU of Tourcoing Hospital from January 2000 to December 2009. RESULTS There were 91 admissions concerning 85 HIV-infected patients. Reasons...

INTRODUCTION The transfer of patient care between the intensive care unit (ICU) and the hospital ward is associated with increased risk of medical error and adverse events. This study will describe patient transfer from ICU to hospital ward by documenting (1) patient, family and provider experiences related to ICU transfer, (2) communication between stakeholders involved in ICU transfer, (3) ad...

INTRODUCTION Many intensive care unit (ICU) survivors suffer from physical disability for months after ICU stay. There is no structured method to identify patients at risk for such problems. The purpose of the study was to develop a method for early in-ICU prediction of the patient's individual risk for new-onset physical disability two months after ICU stay. METHODS In total, 23 potential pr...

BACKGROUND The incidence of candidemia continues to rise in recent years. Candidemic patients often require care in an intensive care unit (ICU) and can consume substantial resources. However, there are no contemporary longitudinal population-level data on the incidence patterns of ICU utilization among patients with candidemia in the United States. METHODS The Texas Inpatient Public Use Data...

Chest radiography serves a crucial role in imaging of the critically ill. Its uses include diagnosis and monitoring of commonly encountered pulmonary parenchymal and pleural space abnormalities. It is also important in evaluating monitoring and support devices and associated complications. CT, another useful imaging modality in select patients, can better characterize pulmonary parenchymal and ...

OBJECTIVES Hypernatraemia is one of the major electrolyte disorders associated with mortality among critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs). It is unclear whether this applies to patients with cerebrovascular diseases in whom high sodium concentrations may be allowed in order to prevent cerebral oedema. This study aimed to examine the association between ICU-acquired hypernatraem...

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency and to evaluate the relationship between premature discharge and post-ICU hospital mortality. DESIGN A prospective registry was made for patients admitted during six consecutive years, performing a retrospective analysis of the data on the first admission of ICU survivors. SETTING A 10-bed general ICU in a 540-bed tertiary-care community hospital. PATI...

BACKGROUND Cardiac surgical reexploration is necessary in approximately 5% of all patients. However, the impact of routine, planned reexploration performed in the intensive care unit (ICU) remains poorly defined. This study evaluated postoperative outcomes after cardiac reexplorations to determine the safety and efficacy of a planned approach in the ICU. METHODS All patients undergoing ICU ca...