View clinical trials related to Critically Ill.
Filter by:The objective of this study is to determine the effect of thiamine therapy on oxygen consumption (VO2) in critically-ill patients. We will evaluate this by measuring VO2 before and after thiamine or placebo administration in patients admitted to the ICU and requiring mechanical ventilation. A secondary aim is to evaluate the effect of thiamine vs. placebo on the metabolic profile of the patients.
Diaphragmatic dysfunction is an important complication of mechanical ventilation. Critically ill patients admitted in a teaching hospital intensive care unit will be evaluated with diaphragm ultrasound to investigate predictors of diaphragmatic dysfunction and the clinical course of these patients. Vascular surgery patients (aortic abdominal surgery) might also be included and assessed with diaphragm ultrasound before and after surgery irrespectively of the need of intensive care unit. On December 2014 the Etical committee approved an amendment to include the possibility to study elective aortic abdominal surgery patient to assess the relationship between surgery related diaphragmatic dysfunction and postoperative respiratory complications.
Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) traditionally receive bed rest as part of their care. They develop muscle weaknesses even after only a few days of mechanical ventilation that may prolong their time in ICU and in hospital, delay functional recovery and delay their return home and to work. Weakness may be avoided with simple strategies of early exercise in ICU. This pilot study aims to test the hypothesis that early mobilisation may improve functional recovery in this patient group and gather pilot data to support a larger randomised trial across Australia and New Zealand.
This is a study of plasma HBP -levels of a previously published trial of G-CSF in critically ill patients (Pettila et al. Critical Care Medicine 2000). The original study was a prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of filgrastim in patients with acute respiratory failure requiring intubation. In this substudy, the investigators evaluated the effect of filgrastim on HBP -concentrations in critically ill patients.
A total of ninety patients (52men and 38women) were included in the study. Forty five patients developed septic complication during ICU stay (sepsis group). Forty five patients were critically ill without evidence of infectious organism (SIRS group). At admission, Patients data include clinical status; SOFA score; central venous pressure; laboratory analysis and arterial blood gas analysis were measured. Routine cultures were obtained. The attending physician evaluated the patients for sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock as long as their stay in ICU. A serum level of TNF-a and SOFA score was monitored.
Specifically designed enteral formulations may improve the gastrointestinal tolerance during early enteral nutrition in the critically ill patient. This pilot trial will permit testing the design of the full-scale study providing valuable data on the expected effect of the formulation, the variability, thus helping to better estimate the required sample size.
The aim of this study is to compare two nutritional regimes in critically ill patients. Patients will be randomized to standard care (25 kcal per kg) or to hypocaloric nutrition (15 kcal per kg). The main outcome will be the SOFA (sequential organ failure assessment) score. The hypothesis is that hypocaloric hyperproteic diet decreases the incidence of organic failure in these 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 Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania's Medical ICU (MICU) is implementing a model of 24-hour intensivist staffing in September 2011. Funds and resources are not available to cover the entire year, only certain weeks will be covered. The investigators propose a randomized clinical trial to study the comparative effectiveness of nocturnal intensivist staffing in the HUP MICU on patient outcomes. The investigators will be collecting and analyzing patient data of all patients admitted to the MICU from September 12, 2011, to September 11, 2012.
The investigators hypothesized that the serum B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) level may be correlated with global end diastolic volume (GEDV) as measured by transpulmonary thermodilution technique (PiCCO). The rationale is that some animal studies have proven that BNP is released from ventricular myocardium in response to physical expansion. Such physical expansion can be measured by GEDV. If the hypothesis can be confirmed with our study, the serum level BNP can be used to monitor volume status of critically ill patient, instead of the invasive monitoring system.