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The Institute of Medicine has called for a patient centered model of care in which patients and families are kept informed about their care. Many ICU patients are unable to communicate and, therefore, family members are called upon for decision-making.
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B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a neurohormone secreted by the heart whose levels are elevated in acute heart failure and also in left- and right-ventricular dysfunction.
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In This Issue: Baxter Bioscience has developed a whole-virus, two dose
vaccine against avian flu; warning label now on antipsychotics regarding an increased risk of mortality in elderly patients treated for dementia-related psychosis; vitamin D for men with heart disease on
horizon? A new oral anticoagulant may soon be available for prevention of thrombotic complications of hip or knee surgery; FDA Actions
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This study from the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham reviewed administrative data from all patients admitted with the primary diagnosis of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or because of acute respiratory failure with a secondary diagnosis of COPD exacerbation.
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A growing literature suggests that packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions are associated with adverse outcomes in a variety of patient populations, but the mechanisms behind the observed effects are not clear.
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Investigators at St Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, BC, conducted a retrospective review of all ICU admissions between November 1998 and July 2003, to find all patients who were potential candidates for noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in the context of an exacerbation of COPD or acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE).
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Effective patient communication is a critical component to ICU patient care and to family member understanding of a critical illness.
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Clinicians generally believe that mechanical ventilation rests and restores the respiratory muscles in acute respiratory failure.
