View clinical trials related to Critical Illness.
Filter by:Hemodynamically unstable ventilated PICU & PCICU patients, which a decision for commencement in inotropic therapy or fluid bolus has been made, will be recruited. Hemodynamic measurements will be carried out before and after therapy have been made, including customary hemodynamic parameters, echocardiography and USCOM studies. All parameters will be analyzed for fluid responsiveness or inotropic therapy prediction. Trend in USCOM parameters will be compared to echocardiography CO parameters.
Determine if a cystatin C-inclusive vancomycin dosing algorithm improved target trough achievement compared to creatinine clearance-guided vancomycin therapy in critically ill patients.
Fever is part of the body's immune response, often triggered by infection. Fever is commonly treated with medicines such as paracetamol, mainly because people feel unwell with fever. However fever does have a role in fighting infection: it enables the rest of the immune system to function more efficiently, and may directly stop bacteria and viruses from multiplying. In most cases however treating fever does not matter because the rest of the immune system can cope well enough to fight the infection (with or without additional treatment, like antibiotics). In critically ill patients however any advantage in the fight against infection may be crucial. In a large observational study of adult patients in the intensive care unit, patients who developed an early fever with temperature between 38.5-39.5 degrees C fared relatively better than patients who were colder. So it is possible that in critical illness fever may be beneficial. However in critical illness the body does have limited energy resources. In order to raise the body temperature energy is required. However the investigators do not know how much energy is required to generate a fever in critically ill children. This study will aim to try and measure the energy required to generate a fever in a critically ill child. The investigators will measure energy expenditure directly in children admitted to the intensive care unit by measuring the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide they breathe in and out (a method called indirect calorimetry). This will enable the investigators to judge whether the benefits of a fever can be justified by the energy costs in the energy depleted state that is critical illness.
Consecutive patients with cirrhosis and septic shock with AKI who give written informed consent will be included in this prospective trial. At baseline NT-Pro BNP, urine N-GAL will be done for all patients. A baseline serum blood sample (10 ml) and urine sample will be stored. Septic shock will be defined by the presence of two or more diagnostic criteria for the systemic inflammatory response syndrome, proven or suspected infection with hypotension non-responsive to adequate fluid resuscitation assessed by no evidence of stroke volume variation on flow track and need of a vasopressor to achieve a target mean arterial pressure (MAP) of ≥ 65 mm Hg. A record of CVP, IVC diameter and B-lines on ultrasound lung would also be done. Patients with age less than 18 years, severe known cardiopulmonary disease (structural or valvular heart disease, coronary artery disease, COPD) pregnancy, chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis, patients already meeting emergency criteria for immediate hemodialysis at the time of randomization as specified in the late group, patients transferred from other hospitals who have already been on hemodialysis before their arrival in the intensive care unit, extremely moribund patients with an expected life expectancy of less than 24 hours, failure to give informed consent from family members.
The state of hyperhydration in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with increased mortality. Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) appears to be a viable method to access the fluid status of critical patients but has never been evaluated in critical patients with AKI. The objective of this study is to evaluate the hydration status using BIVA in critical patients under intensive care at the time of AKI diagnosis and to correlate this measurement with mortality. A sample of 224 patients with AKI will be evaluated by BIVA and followed until they are discharged or death in intensive care unit and the BIVA vectors will be analysed to define differences in hydration characteristics from each group.
The aim of this study is to determine the Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics(PK/PD) of tigecycline in critical ill patients undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy(CRRT)and examine whether the dosage needs adjustment. The study will observe two groups of patients respectively and compare the difference between them. Patients who need to receive CRRT when treat with high-dose tigecycline will be collected in Group CRRT. Patients who treat with high-dose tigecycline only will be collected in Group non-CRRT.
Over the past decade, technical advances have improved the efficiency of continuous EEG recording and remote review, leading to a steep increase in the number of continuous EEGs performed, and to an emerging change in what is considered the standard of care with regards to brain monitoring. Critically ill patients are at high risk for CNS insults, which can result in permanent neurologic disability if untreated. Non-convulsive status epilepticus and other secondary brain injuries are often unrecognized without continuous EEG monitoring. There is increasing evidence that continuous EEG monitoring facilitates early identification and management of changes in brain function, and a recent consensus statement concludes that "each center should provide critical care continuous EEG at the highest level that local resources allow". Neonatal neuro-intensive care is a rapidly developing field with a focus on monitoring of the developing brain. Without continuous EEG monitoring, neonates with paroxysmal events that are suspicious for seizures are treated with phenobarbital, often for many months, with inherent risks of side effects. Because paroxysmal events in neonates may or may not represent seizures, and electrographic seizures may have no discernable clinical correlate, this approach fails to adequately diagnose seizures and exposes neonates to possible harm, either by medication overuse for paroxysmal events that have no electrographic correlate, or by under-treatment of seizures without clinical manifestations. Amplitude-integrated EEG technology is now increasingly used as a simplified monitoring method, using fewer numbers of electrodes and usually being interpreted by a neonatologist or trainee. This model has been implemented at the investigators NICU. However, a recent systematic review came to the conclusion that amplitude-integrated EEG has relatively low and variable sensitivity and specificity, and therefore should not be the mainstay for diagnosis and management of neonatal seizures. Continuous video EEG monitoring is recommended as the gold standard for critically ill neonates, but is a very expensive and resource-intense method. An approach combining both techniques in a standardized algorithm may provide improved patient care in a resource-restricted environment. The investigators are planning to test this hypothesis in a pilot project.
The purpose of the study is to find out whether CD64 expression on neutrophils measured by a new bedside test (LeukoDx) within 30 minutes is associated with effective antibiotic therapy in critically ill adult patients at risk of sepsis.
This Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) will deliver a comprehensive patient communication solution for communication-impaired patients in the intensive care unit that may help decrease days in delirium, decrease anxiety levels, and reduce sedation exposure which are proximal outcomes known to be associated with decreased mechanical ventilation days, shorter lengths of ICU and hospital stay, and lower healthcare cost. The primary goal of this Phase II STTR proposal is to further define user requirements and product specifications and develop a prototype of VidaTalk, a patient-centric, touch pad communication software, to provide mechanically ventilated (MV) patients an evidence-based solution for effectively communicating their needs to care providers and family. A secondary goal is to test the impact of the VidaTalk on clinical outcomes. This study will use mixed methods including observations and interaction with hospitalized patients as they use the VidaTalk tool, surveys and medical record data extraction, product evaluation and brief interview, satisfaction surveys with family members of ICU patients, and focus groups with Registered Nurses. Specific Aim 1. Develop a commercial prototype of VidaTalk that will include multilingual and customizable messages, compatibility with tablet devices, picture symbols, and integration with mobile communication devices. Specific Aim 2. Demonstrate usability with iterative user assessment testing in a clinical setting. Specific Aim 3. Test the clinical efficacy of VidaTalk via android application with MV patients by examining qualitative and quantitative endpoints in a clinical setting. Aim 3 hypothesis: MV patients using VidaTalk will demonstrate significant reductions in patient-reported communication difficulty and frustration, anxiety, sedation exposure, delirium/coma-free days, and improved patient and family satisfaction with ICU care compared to MV patients receiving attention-control (i.e., tablets with health education application). Specific Aim 4. Validation of electronic visual analogue scale, versus current standard paper scale. Specific Aim 5 a, b and c. Test the effect of the communication tablet (VidaTalk) on psychological symptoms in family caregivers.
Despite several positive studies, benefits of early rehabilitation on recovery and motor performance improvement need to be demonstrate. A recent study finds that despite early rehabilitation, 1 survivor of 2 (52%) acquired an ICU weakness. The low intensity exercises applied in intensive care is common and most patients stay in bed. Under these conditions, the optimal choice of the rehabilitation technique for bedridden patient and its intensity should be studied. The objective of the study is to evaluate the cardiovascular and metabolic response of patients during four interventions: Passive legs mobilization, Passive cycloergometter, Quadriceps neuromuscular electrical stimulation and Functional electrical stimulation.