Recently added articles from Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine:
Clinical course and spectrum of intensive care unit patients reactivating herpes simplex-1 virus: A retrospective analysis
Oct 01, 2008; ... Introduction The viruses from the herpes family are characterized by their ability to remain latent within tissues following initial infection and a tendency to reactivate at mucocutaneous sites. [1] Reactivation of herpes simplex-1 virus (HSV-1) in the orofacial region is a common ...
Safety and efficacy of polymyxin B in multidrug resistant gram-negative severe sepsis and septic shock
Oct 01, 2008; ... Introduction Multidrug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacterial sepsis poses an increasingly daunting challenge in the critical care setting worldwide. [1],[2] Especially the lactose nonfermenters Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter, which are opportunistic niche pathogens affecting primarily ...
Impact of preoperative mild renal dysfunction on short term outcome in isolated coronary artery bypass (CABG) patients
Oct 01, 2008; ... Introduction Renal failure predisposes patients to adverse outcome after coronary artery bypass surgery. Moderate to end stage renal dysfunction is known to be an important predictor of morbidity and mortality after CABG and in this group a 5-year survival of less than 50% has been ...
Noninvasive ventilation: A survey of practice patterns of its use in India
Oct 01, 2008; ... Introduction Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is a useful therapy for management of selected patients with respiratory failure. [1],[2],[3],[4] Significant variability in the practice patterns of NIV use has been observed across the world. [5],[6],[7] However, NIV is of particular ...
Effects of mobile phone use on specific intensive care unit devices
Oct 01, 2008; ... Cellular phone usage has grown exponentially in the recent years with introduction of new communication systems and newer and smaller phone models. Intensive Care Units (ICU) in hospitals are also increasingly using sophisticated electronic medical devices. Mobile phones are often used by ICU ...
Renal replacement therapy in the intensive care unit
Oct 01, 2008; ... Introduction Acute renal failure is a frequent complication in critically ill patients and carries a mortality of 50 to 70%. [1] The traditionally held belief has been that kidney failure does not kill on its own as long as complications such as hyperkalaemia, acidosis and volume ...
Biological agents targeting beyond TNF-alpha
Oct 01, 2008; ... Biologicals are proteins produced by living organisms to target specific sites of the inflammatory cascade, including antibodies against cell surface markers, cytokines and adhesion molecules. [1] The biological agents represent an important addition to the therapies for immuno-inflammatory ...
Calcium channel blocker overdose: Experience with amlodipine
Oct 01, 2008; ... Introduction Calcium channel blockers are the leading cause of cardiovascular drug overdose and are responsible for 48% of deaths related to cardiovascular drug exposure. [1] Treating patients with overdose of these medications can challenge even the most experienced physician ....
Post intubation tracheal stenosis
Oct 01, 2008; ... Introduction The cuff-pressure of endotracheal tubes play an important role on the development of tracheal damage. To minimize this injury, use of high volume and low pressure cuff endotracheal tubes are advocated. Surgical resection for the management of post intubation tracheal ...
Indoxacarb poisoning: An unusual presentation as methemoglobinemia
Oct 01, 2008; ... Introduction Indoxacarb is an oxadiazine insecticide, which acts by blocking sodium channels in the nervous system of insects and causes mild tremors, cessation of feeding, and death in a couple of hours. Contact with the substance can take place through ingestion, physical contact, ...
A rare malposition of the thoracic venous catheter introduced via the left internal jugular vein
Oct 01, 2008; ... Introduction Central venous catheterization is an essential component of modern day critical care. But the insertion of central venous catheters is not free of complications. Numerous complications described both during placement of the catheter and later in the long-term maintenance, ...
Cerebral malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax in adult subjects
Oct 01, 2008; ... Introduction Cerebral malaria is usually secondary to P. falciparum infection. However, there are infrequent reports of cerebral malaria associated with P. vivax infection. To our knowledge, only 45 cases of central nervous system P. vivax malaria are reported in the scientific ...
Platelet counts and outcome in the pediatric intensive care unit
Jul 01, 2008; ... Introduction The platelet count, which was related only with bleeding and hemostasis, is now considered to be a predictor of outcome in the ICU setting as an independent parameter. [1] It is found to be as good a predictor as the various mortality scores used in the ICU. [2] This is ...
Physician beliefs and practice regarding end-of-life care in India
Jul 01, 2008; ... Background Physician beliefs regarding end-of-life care can have an impact on the care delivered to the dying patient. These beliefs both reflect and shape the environment surrounding dying in a hospital. Patient and family choices are framed, and in cases limited, by physician beliefs ...
Obstructive sleep apnoea and anaesthesia
Jul 01, 2008; ... Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is an increasingly common sleep disorder, which is of particular concern to anaesthesiologists because it is associated with increased perioperative morbidity and mortality. Because OSA is undiagnosed in an estimated 80 percent of patients, it is necessary that ...
Transfusion associated graft versus host disease in an immunocompetent individual following coronary artery bypass grafting
Jul 01, 2008; ... Introduction Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is the clinical syndrome ascribed to the inflammatory reaction mounted by the donor cells against the host organs. [1] It was first described in humans after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in 1959. Since then, it has been described in ...
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and systemic lupus erythematosus: Successful management of a rare presentation
Jul 01, 2008; ... Introduction Systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE) is diagnosed by the presence of four or more of the following criteria, serially or simultaneously: malar rash, discoid rash, photosensitivity, oral ulcers, non erosive arthritis, serositis, renal abnormalities including proteinuria or ...
Refeeding syndrome
Jul 01, 2008; ... Introduction Severely malnourished patients can undergo life-threatening fluid and electrolyte shifts following the initiation of aggressive nutritional support therapy. Refeeding syndrome [1] is a condition known to occur in previously fasting / malnourished patients who have been ...
Successful management of massive intraoperative pulmonary fat embolism with percutaneous cardiopulmonary support
Jul 01, 2008; ... Introduction Pulmonary fat embolism is a life-threatening complication for patients with long-bone fractures undergoing surgery. [1],[2],[3],[4] The incidence of the fat embolism syndrome ranges between 0.9 and 2.2%, and the mortality rate has been reported to be 13-87%. [5],[6],[7],[8] ...
Artificial blood
Jul 01, 2008; ... Background Blood is a special type of connective tissue that is composed of white cells, red cells, platelets, and plasma. It has a variety of functions in the body. Plasma is the extracellular material made up of water, salts, and various proteins that, along with platelets, encourages ...