Evidence-based clinical standard for the diagnosis and treatment of candidemia in critically ill patients in the intensive care unit.

Candidemia is the predominant form of invasive candidiasis and the most frequently occurring serious fungal infection in critically ill patients in Intensive Care Units (ICU). Studies carried out in Latin America reveal a higher incidence of candidemia and higher mortality rates when compared to North America or Europe. This highlights the need to develop guidelines for correctly diagnosing and treating candidemia in critically ill patients in the ICU.

Inter-observer and intra-observer variability in ultrasound assessment of gastric content and volume in critically ill patients receiving enteral nutrition.

Background: The assessment of gastric content and volume using bedside ultrasound (US) has become a useful tool in emergency departments, anesthesiology departments and inpatient wards, as it provides a rapid and dynamic assessment of the gastric content of patients, which, allows making decisions regarding the risk of regurgitation or the need to adjust the strategy used to induce general anesthesia in patients with a full stomach. This assessment consists of two evaluations: a qualitative one, in which the status of the antrum, in terms of gastric content, is classified into three categories (empty, liquid content and full), and a quantitative one, where gastric volume is estimated. The objective of this study was to estimate the intra-observer and inter-observer agreement in ultrasound assessment of gastric content and volume in critically ill patients receiving enteral nutrition.

Fluid overload in patients with septic shock and lactate clearance as a therapeutic goal: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To assess whether fluid overload in fluid therapy is a prognostic factor for patients with septic shock when adjusted for lactate clearance goals.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted at a level IV care hospital in Bogotá, Colombia. A cohort of patients with septic shock was assembled.