2012 Jan - Vasopressin for treatment of vasodilatory shock: an ESICM systematic review and meta-analysis [Review]

Polito A, Parisini E, Ricci Z, Picardo S, Annane D.; Intensive Care Med. 2012 Jan;38(1):9-19. Epub 2011 Nov 30.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the benefits and risks of vasopressin or its analog terlipressin for patients with vasodilatory shock.

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2011 Dec - Epidemiology of contrast-associated acute kidney injury in ICU patients: a retrospective cohort analysis

Hoste EA, Doom S, De Waele J, Delrue LJ, Defreyne L, Benoit DD, Decruyenaere J.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Dec;37(12):1921-31. Epub 2011 Nov 3.
PURPOSE: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients frequently undergo contrast-enhanced radiographic examinations, which carries a risk for development of contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI). Data on this in ICU patients are scarce. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the epidemiology and short- and long-term outcomes of CA-AKI in ICU patients.

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2011 Dec - The ALIEN study: incidence and outcome of acute respiratory distress syndrome in the era of lung protective ventilation

Villar J, Blanco J, Añón JM, Santos-Bouza A, Blanch L, Ambrós A, Gandía F, Carriedo D, Mosteiro F, Basaldúa S, Fernández RL, Kacmarek RM; on behalf of the ALIEN Network.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Dec;37(12):1932-1941. Epub 2011 Oct 14.
PURPOSE: While our understanding of the pathogenesis and management of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has improved over the past decade, estimates of its incidence have been controversial. The goal of this study was to examine ARDS incidence and outcome under current lung protective ventilatory support practices before and after the diagnosis of ARDS.

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2011 Nov - Predictive factors of advanced interventional procedures in a multicentre severe postpartum haemorrhage study

Gayat E, Resche-Rigon M, Morel O, Rossignol M, Mantz J, Nicolas-Robin A, Nathan-Denizot N, Lefrant JY, Mercier FJ, Samain E, Fargeaudou Y, Barranger E, Laisné MJ, Bréchat PH, Luton D, Ouanounou I, Plaza PA, Broche C, Payen D, Mebazaa A.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Nov;37(11):1816-25. Epub 2011 Jul 30.
PURPOSE: Severe postpartum haemorrhage (SPPH) is the leading cause of peripartum hysterectomy and maternal death. There are no easily measurable parameters that indicate the failure of medical therapy and the need for an advanced interventional procedure (AIP) to stop genital tract bleeding. The aim of the study was to define factors predictive of the need for an AIP in the management of emergent PPH.

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2011 Nov - The obesity paradox in surgical intensive care unit patients

Hutagalung R, Marques J, Kobylka K, Zeidan M, Kabisch B, Brunkhorst F, Reinhart K, Sakr Y.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Nov;37(11):1793-9. Epub 2011 Aug 5.
PURPOSE: To investigate the possible impact of obesity, as assessed by body mass index (BMI), on outcome in surgical intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

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2011 Nov - Beneficial effects of humidified high flow nasal oxygen in critical care patients: a prospective pilot study

Sztrymf B, Messika J, Bertrand F, Hurel D, Leon R, Dreyfuss D, Ricard JD.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Nov;37(11):1780-6. Epub 2011 Sep 27.
PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficiency, safety and outcome of high flow nasal cannula oxygen (HFNC) in ICU patients with acute respiratory failure.

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2011 Nov - Is influenza A(H1N1) pneumonia more severe than other community-acquired pneumonias? Results of the GiViTI survey of 155 Italian ICUs

Bertolini G, Rossi C, Crespi D, Finazzi S, Morandotti M, Rossi S, Peta M, Langer M, Poole D.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Nov;37(11):1746-55. Epub 2011 Aug 17.
PURPOSE: Uncertainty about the severity of the A(H1N1) pandemia persists. Information about disease severity can be obtained by investigating intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, especially when historical comparisons can be made with cases of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

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2011 Nov - Predictors of successful extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) weaning after assistance for refractory cardiogenic shock

Aissaoui N, Luyt CE, Leprince P, Trouillet JL, Léger P, Pavie A, Diebold B, Chastre J, Combes A.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Nov;37(11):1738-45. Epub 2011 Oct 1.
Purpose: Detailed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) weaning strategies and specific predictors of ECMO weaning success are lacking. This study evaluated a weaning strategy following support for refractory cardiogenic shock to identify clinical, hemodynamic, and Doppler echocardiography parameters associated with successful ECMO removal.

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2011 Oct - Does femoral venous pressure measurement correlate well with intrabladder pressure measurement? A multicenter observational trial

De Keulenaer BL, Regli A, Dabrowski W, Kaloiani V, Bodnar Z, Cea JI, Litvin AA, Davis WA, Palermo AM, De Waele JJ, Malbrain ML.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Oct;37(10):1620-7. Epub 2011 Jul 8.
PURPOSE: To investigate if femoral venous pressure (FVP) measurement can be used as a surrogate measure for intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) via the bladder.

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2011 Oct - Recommendations on basic requirements for intensive care units: structural and organizational aspects

Valentin A, Ferdinande P; ESICM Working Group on Quality Improvement.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Oct;37(10):1575-87. Epub 2011 Sep 15.
OBJECTIVE: To provide guidance and recommendations for the planning or renovation of intensive care units (ICUs) with respect to the specific characteristics relevant to organizational and structural aspects of intensive care medicine.

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2011 Oct - PEEP-induced changes in lung volume in acute respiratory distress syndrome. Two methods to estimate alveolar recruitment

Dellamonica J, Lerolle N, Sargentini C, Beduneau G, Di Marco F, Mercat A, Richard JC, Diehl JL, Mancebo J, Rouby JJ, Lu Q, Bernardin G, Brochard L.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Oct;37(10):1595-604. Epub 2011 Aug 25.
PURPOSE: Lung volumes, especially functional residual capacity (FRC), are decreased in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) contributes to increased end-expiratory lung volume (EELV) and to improved oxygenation, but differentiating recruitment of previously nonaerated lung units from distension of previously open lung units remains difficult. This study evaluated simple methods derived from bedside EELV measurements to assess PEEP-induced lung recruitment while monitoring strain.

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2011 Sep - A physiologic comparison of proportional assist ventilation with load-adjustable gain factors (PAV+) versus pressure support ventilation (PSV)

Costa R, Spinazzola G, Cipriani F, Ferrone G, Festa O, Arcangeli A, Antonelli M, Proietti R, Conti G.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Sep;37(9):1494-500. Epub 2011 Jul 1.
Purpose: To compare patient–ventilator interaction during PSV and PAV+ in patients that are difficult to wean.

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2011 Sep - Long-term use of selective decontamination of the digestive tract does not increase antibiotic resistance: a 5-year prospective cohort study

Ochoa-Ardila ME, García-Cañas A, Gómez-Mediavilla K, González-Torralba A, Alía I, García-Hierro P, Taylor N, van Saene HK, de la Cal MA.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Sep;37(9):1458-65. Epub 2011 Jul 19.
Purpose: Despite the evidence, the use of selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) remains controversial, largely because of concerns that it may promote the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term incidence of carriage of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), its clinical impact on developing infections and to explore risk factors of acquiring resistance.

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2011 Sep - Concomitant arginine-vasopressin and hydrocortisone therapy in severe septic shock: association with mortality

Torgersen C, Luckner G, Schröder DC, Schmittinger CA, Rex C, Ulmer H, Dünser MW.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Sep;37(9):1432-7. Epub 2011 Jul 21.
Purpose: To evaluate the association between concomitant arginine-vasopressin (AVP)/hydrocortisone therapy and mortality in severe septic shock patients.

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2011 Aug - Palliative noninvasive ventilation in patients with acute respiratory failure

Azoulay E, Demoule A, Jaber S, Kouatchet A, Meert AP, Papazian L, Brochard L.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Aug;37(8):1250-7. Epub 2011 Jun 9.
Over the last two decades, the increasing use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has diminished the need for endotracheal ventilation, thus decreasing the rate of ventilation-induced complications. Thus, NIV has decreased both intubation rates and mortality rates in specific subsets of patients with acute respiratory failure (e.g., patients with hypercapnia, cardiogenic pulmonary edema, immune deficiencies, or post-transplantation acute respiratory failure). NIV is also increasingly used as a palliative strategy when endotracheal ventilation is deemed inappropriate.

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2011 Aug - Acquired hemophilia: a rare but life-threatening potential cause of bleeding in the intensive care unit

Shander A, Walsh CE, Cromwell C.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Aug;37(8):1240-9. Epub 2011 May 31.
Objective: There are a number of potential etiologies of severe bleeding encountered in the intensive care unit. Although rare, acquired hemophilia is one such etiology that often presents with major bleeding requiring intensive care. Despite the introduction of effective treatments, the reported mortality rate of patients with acquired hemophilia ranges from 6 to 8% and is in part attributable to sequential delays in diagnosis and appropriate treatment. The purpose of this review is to familiarize the intensive care specialist with this underrecognized cause of bleeding, with an emphasis on diagnosis and treatment.

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2011Jul - High-dose selenium reduces ventilator-associated pneumonia and illness severity in critically ill patients with systemic inflammation

Manzanares W, Biestro A, Torre MH, Galusso F, Facchin G, Hardy G.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Jul;37(7):1120-7. Epub 2011 Mar 29.
Purpose: To confirm the pharmacodynamics and evaluate the efficacy of high-dose selenium (Se) administered by continuous infusion, following an initial loading bolus of selenite, on clinical outcome in critically ill patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).

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2011 Jul - Early and late outcome after single step dilatational tracheostomy versus the guide wire dilating forceps technique: a prospective randomized clinical trial

Fikkers BG, Staatsen M, van den Hoogen FJ, van der Hoeven JG.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Jul;37(7):1103-9. Epub 2011 Apr 12.
Purpose:Percutaneous tracheostomy is frequently performed in long-term ventilated patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Unfortunately, despite many years of experience, the optimal technique is still unknown, especially considering the occurrence of late complications. The purpose of this study was to determine which of the two most frequently used percutaneous tracheostomy techniques performs best with the emphasis on late complications.

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2011 Jul - The birth of intensive care medicine: Björn Ibsen's records

Reisner-Sénélar L.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Jul;37(7):1084-6. Epub 2011 May 25.
The birth of intensive care medicine was a process that took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, during and after the poliomyelitis epidemic in 1952/1953. The events that led to the creation of the first intensive care unit in the world in December 1953 are well described. It is generally agreed upon that the start of the process was the fact that an anaesthesiologist (Björn Ibsen) was brought out of the operating theatre and asked to use his skills on a 12-year-old girl suffering from polio.

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2011 Jul-International expert statement on training standards for critical care ultrasonography

Expert Round Table on Ultrasound in ICU.; Intensive Care Med. 2011 Jul;37(7):1077-83. Epub 2011 May 26.
Training in ultrasound techniques for intensive care medicine physicians should aim at achieving competencies in three main areas: (1) general critical care ultrasound (GCCUS), (2) “basic” critical care echocardiography (CCE), and (3) advanced CCE. A group of 29 experts representing the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) and 11 other critical care societies worldwide worked on a potential framework for organizing training adapted to each area of competence. This framework is mainly aimed at defining minimal requirements but is by no means rigid or restrictive: each training organization can be adapted according to resources available.

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