AIMS To describe the nature, frequency, and characteristics of adult critical care transfers originating from the emergency department (ED). METHODS A one year prospective regional descriptive study using multiple data sources of all critically ill adults transferred from an ED or a minor injuries unit (MIU) within the former Yorkshire Regional Health Authority Area or into a regional critica...

INTRODUCTION This prospective study investigated whether plasma ionized calcium concentration abnormalities and other electrolyte disturbances represent risk factors for the development of critical illness polyneuromyopathy (CIPNM) in ICU patients. METHODS One hundred and ninety consecutive adult critically ill patients with prolonged ICU stay (longer than 7 days) were prospectively evaluated...

Chemoreflexes are important mechanisms for regulating ventilatory and cardiovascular function. The aim of this study was to determine the meaning of autonomic dysfunction for the pathophysiology and outcome in critical ill patients. For the determination of the chemoreflex sensitivity (ChRS), the ratio of the RR interval shift and the shift of oxygen partial pressure during a 5-min inhalation o...

Health information technology (IT) has become an important part of current medical practice, especially in critical care services. One significant advance is the use of telemedicine which was initiated in Thailand nearly two decades ago. Telemedicine is also used in the intensive care unit or, what has been termed the “Tele-ICU”. It has evolved as an alternate paradigm linking the intensivist a...

The technological advancements that allow support for organ dysfunction have led to an increase in survival rates for the most critically ill patients. Some of these patients survive the initial acute critical condition but continue to suffer from organ dysfunction and remain in an inflammatory state for long periods of time. This group of critically ill patients has been described since the 19...

OBJECTIVE Disturbed intestinal barrier function due to 'leaky' tight junctions may cause secondary sepsis via paracellular translocation across the gut wall. Our objective was to describe the effects of critical illness on duodenal morphology and ultrastructure. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Prospective observational study of 12 mechanically ventilated critically ill patients in an intensi...

Psychosocial assessment and treatment are critical elements of care for terminally ill patients who desire hastened death. Most patients, in saying that they want to die, are asking for assistance in living--for help in dealing with depression, anxiety about the future, grief, lack of control, dependence, physical suffering, and spiritual despair. In this article, the authors review current und...

Sleep and circadian rhythm are reported to be severely abnormal in critically ill patients. Disturbed sleep can lead to the development of delirium and, as a result, can be associated with prolonged stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and increased mortality. The standard criterion method of sleep assessment, polysomnography (PSG), is complicated in critically ill patients due to the practica...

IMPORTANCE The relationship between critical illness and psychiatric illness is unclear. OBJECTIVE To assess psychiatric diagnoses and medication prescriptions before and after critical illness. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Population-based cohort study in Denmark of critically ill patients in 2006-2008 with follow-up through 2009, and 2 matched comparison cohorts from hospitalized pat...