OBJECTIVE Dysnatremia may have an impact on outcomes in critically ill patients, but this has not been widely investigated in surgical ICU patients. We investigated the epidemiology of dysnatremia in a large cohort of surgical ICU patients and evaluated the possible influence of the time of acquisition of dysnatremia and fluctuations in serum sodium concentrations on hospital mortality in these...

PURPOSE An intensivist is a key factor in the mortality of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an intensivist on clinical outcomes of patients admitted to a surgical ICU. METHODS During the study period, the surgical ICU was converted from an open ICU to an intensivist-directed ICU managed by an intensivist who was board cert...

BACKGROUND Concurrent admission of a mother and her newborn to separate intensive care units (herein referred to as co-ICU admission), possibly in different centres, can magnify family discord and stress. We examined the prevalence and predictors of mother-infant separation and mortality associated with co-ICU admissions. METHODS We completed a population-based study of all 1 023 978 singleto...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To evaluate the causes, risk factors, and mortality rates associated with unexpected readmission to medical and surgical ICUs. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE citation review of primary articles focusing on ICU readmission or ICU outcomes from January 1966 to June 1999, and contact with authors of primary studies. STUDY SELECTION Eight primary studies of ICU readmission and eight multi...

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to determine incidence, risk factors, and impact on outcome of intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. METHODS This prospective observational case-control study, which was a part of a cohort study, was conducted in a 30-bed ICU during a three year period. All immunocompetent patients hospitalised >48 hours were eligible. Patients...