Platelet morphological indices on Intensive Care Unit admission predict mortality in septic but not in non-septic patients.

Background: Thrombocytopenia is associated with worse outcomes in critically ill patients. The clinical relevance of other platelets indices is less studied. We investigated the ability of the platelets distribution width (PDW) and the mean platelet volume (MPV) to predict mortality in critically ill patients.

Lower airways inflammation in patients with ARDS measured using endotracheal aspirates: a pilot study.

Introduction: Our knowledge of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) pathogenesis is incomplete. The goal of this pilot study is to investigate the feasibility of measuring lower airways inflammation in patients with ARDS using repeated endotracheal aspirates (ETAs).

Methods: ETAs were obtained within 24 hours by intensive care unit admission from 25 mechanically ventilated patients with ARDS and 10 of them underwent a second ETA within 96 hours after the first sampling.