Cardiac arrest: should we consider norepinephrine instead of epinephrine?

A patient scheduled for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy had an anaphylactic shock during induction of anesthesia. After the injection of vecuronium, an unusual fall of arterial pressure occurred, with bradycardia, enlargement of the QRS complex, then a circulatory arrest. Chest compressions were initiated, while intravenous epinephrine 1 mg was administered.

Half the family members of intensive care unit patients do not want to share in the decision-making process: a study in 78 French intensive care units.

Objective: To evaluate the opinions of intensive care unit staff and family members about family participation in decisions about patients in intensive care units in France, a country where the approach of physicians to patients and families has been described as paternalistic.

Design: Prospective multiple-center survey of intensive care unit staff and family members.

Setting: Seventy-eight intensive care units in university-affiliated hospitals in France.