Most common causes of acute respiratory distress syndrome ARDS cause a clinical condition called as ARDS first described by Ashbaugh in 1967, to describe a group of patients with acute inflammation of the lungs resulting in severe hypoxia that is not amenable for correction by oxygen therapy. The reported incidence of ARDS is about 1.5—13.5% per 100,000 […]
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The capacity of deliberate Brain Hypothermia to protect the brain and other vital organs during periods of decreased oxygen delivery is used during cardiac surgery. The beneficial effects of Brain Hypothermia were empirically attributed to its ability to decrease cellular metabolism and thus delay the processes leading to irreversible cell death. Based on this, it
Heterotopic ossification may occur following head or spinal cord trauma, burns, or major surgery on the musculoskeletal system. A heterotrophic bone may cause severe physical impairment by surrounding a joint such as the hip or the elbow and fixing the joint in a nonfunctional position (i.e., contracture). Heterotopic ossification is also very common following open
Colloids are the type on intravenous fluids with high osmolarity that are ideal to transfuse in conditions like decreased intravascular volume. A Few Colloids Examples are: Dextrans (Lomodex) Albumins Gelatins (Haemaccel) Hydroxyethyl Starch Perflurocarbon Emulsions Blood Hextend The Colloids Examples are explained in a bit detail below. 1. Dextrans (Lomodex) For more on Dextrans read
Solid organ transplantation is the therapy of choice for patients with end-organ failure. Despite numerous advances in the field, the number of individuals awaiting solid organ transplantation continues to exceed the supply of organs. One approach to increasing the supply of organs is to maximize donation rates of eligible patients. Family consent rates for donation
AMBU Ventilation is an important part in resuscitation of an apnoeic person or a person who is not breathing. The AMBU of an AMBU bag is an abbreviation for ‘Artificial Manual Breathing Unit’. The AMBU bag is used to ventilate the patient. An AMBU Ventilation unit consists of one self inflating bag made up of
Intensive care unit scoring systems or ICU scoring systems like APACHE and SAPS fall into two broad categories. Risk prediction (also called prognostic) models are designed to assess prognosis at the time of admission to the ICU or within the first 24 hours. Severity-of-illness scoring systems are used in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting as tools
Unfractionated heparin is a mixture of different weights of heparin (5 to 30k) that have varying effects on factors IIa, IXa, and Xa. Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) is a subset of heparin (weight ~5k) that has activity on factor Xa, but not on IIa. LMWH has the advantage of less binding to protein and dose-independent clearance.
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Cranial Perfusion Pressure is the blood pressure in the brain that is required to maintain adequate circulation in the brain and thus maintain the important cerebral functions. Very low Perfusion Pressure in the brain will result in inadequate circulation to the brain and reduced oxygen and glucose supply to the brain with which it functions. The
Little substantial human data exists concerning the impact of fluids on the brain, which may guide rational IV Fluid Replacement in neurosurgical patients. Therefore, recommendations arise from known factors that influence water movement into the brain. IV Fluid Replacement in neurosurgical patients can alter three properties of the blood, viz., osmolality, colloid oncotic pressure and
