The authors set out to compare arterial and central venous blood gases (ABG and VBG, respectively), to evaluate the utility and accuracy of a predefined algorithm for adjusting VBG pH and pCO2 to approximate that of ABG, and to define clinical scenarios where a VBG may not be a useful substitute for an ABG.
In this secondary analysis of data from a study on the pre-extubation prediction of post-extubation work of breathing in patients recovering from acute respiratory failure, Mehta and colleagues sought to determine whether the size of a patient's endotracheal tube (ETT) affected respiratory rate, tidal volume, and other "weaning parameters" commonly measured during spontaneous breathing and used to predict successful extubation.
Management of patients with accidental or intentional poisoning in drug overdose is a common problem for the intensivist. The actual incidence of poisoning in the United States is unknown because of lack of adequate reporting, but a minimum of several million cases occur annually. The vast majority of these cases do not require ICU admission.
This study from the University of Amsterdam reports outcome data on 105 consecutive patients resuscitated from primary cardiac arrest and treated in the ICU with a protocol of induced mild hypothermia.
