Improvement of quality of life (QOL) between 1 and 3-4 years after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in ICU patients.

Background: Evaluation of changes in quality of life (QOL) in ICU patients several years after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is not well documented.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in all patients with TBI admitted between 2004 and 2008 to the ICU of Regional Hospital of Malaga (Spain). Functional status was evaluated by Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) and QOL by PAECC (Project for the Epidemiologic Analysis of Critical Care patients) questionnaire between 0 (normal QOL) to 29 points (worst QOL).

Synchronized Pedaling with Martial Arts Improves Quality of Life of Women with Breast Cancer.

Physical exercise improves the physical condition of women who have been undergone surgery for breast cancer. This study evaluated the effect of a new martial arts program that combined aerobic endurance and muscle strength exercises on improving upper limb function and aerobic performance of women who have undergone breast cancer surgery. Fifty-three women who had previously undergone breast cancer surgery with axillary lymph node dissection, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy participated in the twelve-week program.

Catecholamines and Paroxysmal Sympathetic Hyperactivity after Traumatic Brain Injury.

Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) affects a significant minority of people in the intensive care unit after severe traumatic brain injury. Systematic research has yet to elucidate or quantify the extent of the role of the catecholamines or adrenocortical and thyroid axis hormonal influences in the condition. Data were prospectively collected on 80 consecutive patients, 18 of whom developed clinical signs of PSH (22.

Relationship between quality-of-life after 1-year follow-up and severity of traumatic brain injury assessed by computerized tomography.

Purpose: This paper studies the relationship between computed tomography (CT) scan on admission, according to Marshall's tomographic classification, and quality-of-life (QoL) after 1 year in patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: This study used validated scales including the Glasgow Outcome Scale and the PAECC (Project for the Epidemiologic Analysis of Critical Care Patients) QoL questionnaire.

Results: We enrolled 531 patients.

Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity after traumatic brain injury: clinical and prognostic implications.

A proportion of patients surviving severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) have symptoms suggestive of excessive sympathetic discharge, here termed paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH). The goals of this study were: (1) to describe the clinical associations and radiological findings of PSH, its incidence, and features in subjects with severe TBI in the intensive care unit (ICU); (2) to investigate the potential role of increased intracranial pressure in the pathogenesis of PSH; and (3) to determine the prognostic influence of PSH during the ICU stay, on discharge from the ICU, and at 12 months post-injury. A prospective cohort study was undertaken of all ICU admissions with severe TBI older than 14 years over an 18-month period.

Seafood intoxication by tetrodotoxin: first case in Europe.

Background: Tetrodotoxin is considered the most lethal toxin in the marine environment. Prior cases of intoxication previously described correspond to consumption of tetrodotoxin in tropical or subtropical regions of Asia or the Pacific Islands.

Objectives: We present the first European case of tetrodotoxin intoxication in a patient who ingested part of a trumpet shellfish (Charonia sauliae) from the Atlantic Ocean in Southern Europe.

Replacement of 24-h creatinine clearance by 2-h creatinine clearance in intensive care unit patients: a single-center study.

Objective: To estimate the usefulness of 2-h creatinine clearance (CrCl) in the ICU and define variables that may reduce agreement.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Polyvalent ICU of a university hospital.

Risk factors for renal dysfunction in the postoperative course of liver transplant.

Renal dysfunction (RD) is a frequent complication after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), and it has an unfavorable effect on the prognosis of OLT patients. The purpose of our study was to identify possible risk factors for RD and its impact on survival. The possible relations of pre-, peri-, and postoperative variables to early-onset renal dysfunction (ED) (within the 1st 3 months), late-onset renal dysfunction (LD) (between 3 and 6 months), and chronic renal dysfunction (CRD) (beyond 6 months) was analyzed.