Monitoring of argatroban and lepirudin anticoagulation in critically ill patients by conventional laboratory parameters and rotational thromboelastometry - a prospectively controlled randomized double-blind clinical trial.

Background: Argatroban or lepirudin anticoagulation therapy in patients with heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) or HIT suspect is typically monitored using the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). Although aPTT correlates well with plasma levels of argatroban and lepirudin in healthy volunteers, it might not be the method of choice in critically ill patients. However, in-vivo data is lacking for this patient population.

Ventilation with high versus low peep levels during general anaesthesia for open abdominal surgery does not affect postoperative spirometry: A randomised clinical trial.

Background: Invasive mechanical ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery typically causes atelectasis and impairs postoperative lung function.

Objective: We investigated the effect of intraoperative ventilation with high positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and recruitment manoeuvres (RMs) on postoperative spirometry.

Design: This was a preplanned, single-centre substudy of an international multicentre randomised controlled trial, the PROVHILO trial.