A SCIE briefing provides up-to-date information on a particular topic. It is a concise document summarising the knowledge base in a particular area and is intended to act as a ‘launch pad’ or signpost to more in-depth material. The briefing is divided into the different types of knowledge relevant to health and social care research and practice, as defined by the Social Care Institute for Excel...

A description of the acid-base status of arterial blood includes three values : pH, carbon dioxide tension (pC0,) and base excess (BE). pH, normally about 7.40 (7.36 to 7.42), changes by changing pC0, as well as by accumulation of non-volatile acid or base. The p H value is practically always determined directly by means of the glass electrode. pC02, normally about 40 mm Hg (33 to 47), is inver...

BACKGROUND: Historically, emergency physicians and trauma surgeons have referred to a systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 90 mm Hg as hypotension. Recent evidence from the civilian trauma literature suggests that 110 mm Hg may be more appropriate based on associated acidosis and outcome measures. In this analysis, we sought to determine the relationship between SBP, hypoperfusion, and mortality in...

BACKGROUND Historically, emergency physicians and trauma surgeons have referred to a systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 90 mm Hg as hypotension. Recent evidence from the civilian trauma literature suggests that 110 mm Hg may be more appropriate based on associated acidosis and outcome measures. In this analysis, we sought to determine the relationship between SBP, hypoperfusion, and mortality in ...

This review contrasts the most-studied variety of attention, visuospatial attention, with several types of nonspatial visual attention. We: 1) discuss the manner in which spatial and nonspatial varieties of attention are experimentally defined, and the ecological validity of the paradigms in which they are studied, 2) review and compare differing effects of spatial and nonspatial attention on n...

BACKGROUND Arterial blood gas (ABG) parameters such as pH form part of multi-parameter scoring systems for predicting severe acute pancreatitis; however, literature on detailed evaluation of ABG alone in this context is scarce. METHODS Patients with acute pancreatitis presenting to our unit between January 2012 and November 2013 were prospectively studied. ABG analysis was done at admission a...

OBJECTIVES To address the practical problems of routine umbilical cord blood sampling, to determine the ranges for pH, PCO2 and base deficit and to examine the relationships of these parameters between cord vessels. DESIGN An observational study of umbilical cord artery and vein blood gas results. SETTING A large district general hospital in the UK. SUBJECTS One thousand nine hundred and ...

BACKGROUND Metabolic acidosis is the best predictor of death in children with severe falciparum malaria; however, its treatment presents a therapeutic dilemma, because acidosis and hypovolemia may coexist with coma, which can be associated with elevated intracranial pressure. We postulated that volume resuscitation with albumin might correct acidosis and hypovolemia with a lower risk of precipi...

BACKGROUND Splanchnic perfusion following hypovolemic shock is an important marker of adequate resuscitation. We tested whether the gap between esophageal partial carbon dioxide tension (PeCO2) and arterial partial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) is increased during graded hemorrhagic hypotension and reversed after blood reinfusion, using a fiberoptic carbon dioxide sensor. MATERIALS AND METHO...