BACKGROUND Patients with perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) often present with acute, severe illness that carries a high risk for morbidity and mortality. Mortality ranges from 3-40% and several prognostic scoring systems have been suggested. The aim of this study was to review the available scoring systems for PPU patients, and to assert if there is evidence to prefer one to the other. MATERIAL A...

The phenomenon of healthcare–associated infections (HAIs), formerly called nosocomial infections (NIs) [1], has been well recognized in the literature. In the cardiovascular ICUs, HAIs may result in significant patient morbidity and mortality, prolonged duration of hospital stay, and additional costs due to diagnostic and therapeutic interventions [2]. For this reason, HAIs are considered an in...

The age of patients is a controversial issue in admission to intensive care unit (ICU). The aim of this study was to compare severity and nursing workload of elderly patients with 60-69, 70-79, and e"80 years of age and to identify predictors of nursing workload in elderly patients. A cross sectional study was performed with a sample of 71 elderly patients admitted to three ICU in the city of S...

conclusions based on the findings, the mortality rate was 22.9% among poisoned patients with an elevated serum lactate level. we can conclude that mortality is associated with toxicants, but not the occurrence of vap; in fact, vap scenarios do not elevate serum lactate level. background lactate level is known to increase among the majority of patients with toxicity. this study aimed to determin...

BACKGROUND Since early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) became standard care in severe sepsis and septic shock patients in intensive care units many years ago, we suppose that the survival rate of severe sepsis and septic shock patients improves if the resuscitative procedure is quickly implemented and is initiated in the emergency room. OBJECTIVE We aimed at recording emergency department time t...

BACKGROUND Our aim was to examine whether serial blood lactate levels could be used as predictors of outcome. METHODS We prospectively studied 44 high-risk, hemodynamically stable, surgical patients. Blood lactate values, mean arterial pressure, heart rate and urine output were obtained at patient admission to the study, at 12, 24 and 48 hours. RESULTS The nonsurvivors (n = 7) had similar b...

Abstract Background Although Impella may serve as an alternative strategy in order to stabilize the heart function without detrimental effects of catecholamines or bridge patients definite therapies setting cardiogenic shock (CS), leading a widespread use this device, data concerning reliable prediction predefining which would benefit from implantation such device are completely lacking. Purpos...

Aim To verify and compare the accuracies of mortality predictions in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Internal Clinic of Central Military Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic, using model APACHE II and the newer systems of the APACHE IV, SAPS 3 and MPMo III. Methods The data were collected retrospectively between 2011 and 2012, 1000 patients were evaluated. The assessment of the overall accur...