Three-dimensional critical care transesophageal echocardiography: A bedside tool in the diagnosis and management of shock.

Critical care echocardiography has become fundamental in diagnosis, management, and monitoring of patients in shock. Transesophageal echocardiography has gained importance, particularly in critically ill patients under mechanical ventilation. We describe echocardiographic findings concerning a patient admitted with confusion, pulmonary edema, hypotension, and systolic murmur at apex.

COVID-19 pandemic: overview of protective-ventilation strategy in ARDS patients.

: In the context of COVID-19 pandemic, the aim of this manuscript is to provide a standard of care of patients with ARDS for non-emergency medicine trained physicians who are not customary with mechanical ventilation.: We conducted a systematic review of the literature to investigate the best practice recommendations regarding the mechanical ventilation of patients with ARDS.: We summarized the principal strategies for lung-protective ventilation of patients with ARDS.

Leptospirosis-induced purpura: An atypical manifestation of Weil's disease.

Purpura is a rare but documented presenting feature of severe leptospirosis. We describe a case of Weil's disease characterized by predominating coagulopathy and hepato-nephritis. We illustrate dynamic changes in cutaneous lesions.

Endomyocardial and pericardial aspergillosis in critically ill patients.

Invasive aspergillosis(IA) is a potentially lethal complication of Aspergillus infection affecting mainly immunocompromised hosts; however, during the last two decades its incidence was increasingly observed in critically ill immunocompetent patients. The objective of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics of histologically proven endomyocardial and pericardial invasion, in the context of IA, in critically ill patients. Eight critically ill patients with histopathological confirmation of endomyocardial/pericardial aspergillosis were evaluated.

Patterns of antimicrobial therapy in severe nosocomial infections: empiric choices, proportion of appropriate therapy, and adaptation rates--a multicentre, observational survey in critically ill patients.

This prospective, observational multicentre (n=24) study investigated relationships between antimicrobial choices and rates of empiric appropriate or adequate therapy, and subsequent adaptation of therapy in 171 ICU patients with severe nosocomial infections. Appropriate antibiotic therapy was defined as in vitro susceptibility of the causative pathogen and clinical response to the agent administered. In non-microbiologically documented infections, therapy was considered adequate in the case of favourable clinical response <5 days.