View clinical trials related to Critical Illness.
Filter by:Subjects who are hospitalized in the ICU will be included after 24 hours of intubation during their ICU stay. Twice-daily Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) will be performed on one leg for 2x40 min per day to assess muscle fiber size. The investigators hypothesize an attenuated loss in muscle fiber size.
Overweight patients are susceptible to develop acute complications when they are admitted in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Severe infection can be associated with cardiovascular failure ('shock") and is associated with 35-50% mortality. One of the key issue to cure infection is to administer antibiotics. However, under dosing antibiotic is one of the main reason that explain treatment failure. There are very few data concerning particularities of antibiotic dosing in critically ill, overweight, patients. The aim of the present study is to describe the pharmacokinetic of two main antibiotics (doripenem and piperacillin/Tazobactam) in both overweight and non overweight critically ill patients presenting a septic shock. The investigators hypothesis is that usual dose for those antibiotic may be accurate in non overweight patients but is not in overweight patients.
The need for certain components of food (i.e. protein) for critically ill children is not clear. It is important to have critically ill children fed adequately to prevent that their condition becomes worse or that recovery takes longer. Research methods used in the past to investigate the need for protein (Nitrogen Balance calculations), were not sensitive enough in severely ill children. The purpose of this study is to develop a new research method to determine the need for protein in severely ill children. In order to develop this new method, more information is needed on the way the body of these children uses protein in 24-hours. In the present study during 24-hours 8 children of age less than 18 years who are admitted to either the Pediatric ICU or the Cardiovascular ICU. Subjects will receive a standard nutrition, providing an age specific amount of protein (age ≤ 3: 2.52 protein g/kg BW.d; age 4-6: 1.8 protein g/kg BW.d; age > 10: 1.44 protein g/kg BW.d) via tube feeding. They will also receive a mixture of stable isotopes of amino to investigate protein behavior in the body (protein kinetics) both by infusion in their blood and together with the nutrition. Blood will be drawn every 60 minutes during the 24-hour period and the behavior of protein and the concentrations in blood of amino acids and urea will be measured. Urine will be collected to measure nitrogen balance. The investigators will compare the results of this nitrogen balance method with the results of the stable isotope method. PIM2, PRISM, SIRS criteria will be used to get information on the severity of illness of the subjects. Also body weight and length as well as body composition of the subjects will be measured at the start and after the 24-hour period. Body composition will be measured by Bioelectrical Impedance Spectroscopy. Endpoints of the study are net whole-body protein synthesis (protein balance), 24-hour pattern of protein balance, 24-hour urea production, 24-hour nitrogen balance, 24-hour contribution of arginine kinetics to whole body protein breakdown, 24-hour muscle protein breakdown, splanchnic amino acid extraction and plasma amino acid concentrations.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether reactivation of latent cytomegalovirus infection in critically ill patients looked after in the intensive care unit can be successfully and safely prevented using antiviral agents. Comparison is made between standard care, and treatment with one of two different antiviral regimens: valaciclovir/aciclovir, which has a favourable side effect profile but requires high dosage to be effective, and valganciclovir/ganciclovir, which has more side effects, but has been demonstrated to be effective in low dosage. The primary hypothesis is that cytomegalovirus reactivation can be effectively suppressed with antiviral prophylaxis.
Purpose. Oral chemoprophylaxis has been advocated to reduce the incidence of Candida colonization and infection. However, Candida prophylaxis in intensive care unit (ICU) is still a matter of debate. Methods. Randomized, single-center trial studying single drug (nystatin) versus control in surgical ICU patients. Multiple-site testing for fungi were performed in each patient at ICU admission (T0) and subsequently every 3 days (T3, T6, T9…). The primary evaluation criterion was the time course of colonization index (CI) during ICU stay.
Use of sedatives and analgesics is common in mechanically ventilated patients hospitalized in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). That is called " sedation " and aimed to reduce both pain and anxiety and also to allow an effective and atraumatic mechanical ventilation. However, sedation excess and ventilator support excess, both in duration and intensity, are associated with an excess morbidity. Patients usually are systematically sedated after having been intubated. Then, sedation is stopped first before ventilator support is weaning. Several studies shown that rationalized protocols of sedation and ventilation orderings had a beneficial impact on non surgical patients' outcome. Feasibility of these protocols in surgical patients is still unknown. Moreover, no study has evaluated an optimized paired strategy of sedation-ventilation based on the priority setting of ventilation. This priority setting of ventilation should increase patient's comfort in spite of increasing sedatives and analgesics dosing. An paired sedation-ventilation protocol optimized for both duration and intensity of these treatments could improve surgical patients' outcome in ICU.
study is to determine if proton pump inhibitors plus enteral nutrition is superior to enteral nutrition alone as a stress ulcer prophylaxis strategy in critically ill patients in terms of incidence of overt and significant GI bleeding related to stress gastropathy.
The primary objective of this study is to determine whether a dose-adjusted prophylaxis fondaparinux regimen of 2.5 milligrams (mg) subcutaneously administered every (q) 48 hours (hr) in patients with renal failure achieves peak and trough levels similar to patients with normal renal function, and protects patients from developing venous thromboembolism (VTE). Our hypothesis is that a dose-adjusted fondaparinux regimen, which extends the dosing interval from q24 to q48 hr, in patients with estimated creatinine clearance of < 30 ml/min, will be safe and effective.
The purpose of this study is to test if a 6-week programme of exercise improves physical function and health related quality of life in patients following intensive care who are discharged from hospital. In this study the investigators will compare the physical function and health related quality of life of patients who attend the programme with patients who do not. The 6 week exercise programme will be run by physiotherapy staff, and will mostly take place in a hospital gym. The investigators will measure patients' physical function, exercise capacity, level of breathlessness and their quality of life before and after the 6-week programme, and 6 months later. The investigators will also interview patients to ask their views about the acceptability, enjoyment and satisfaction with the exercise programme. If this study shows that the physical function and health related quality of life are improved in those who took part in the exercise programme, then it will provide useful information which will help the development of services for patients after critical illness. The results will also provide information which will help us design future clinical trials for this patient population.
The purpose of this study is to compare the accuracy and precision of two non-invasive methods of measuring cardiac output in critically ill children (<18 yrs). The participants will include any patient admitted to Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) requiring a trans-thoracic ECHO (TTE) as part of their treatment plan. Measurements of intermittent cardiac output will be obtained and compared on participants using standard 2-D TTE and Ultrasound Cardiac Output Monitor (USCOM).