The advantages of inhalational sedation using an anesthetic-conserving device versus intravenous sedatives in an intensive care unit setting: A systematic review.

Background: Sedation is fundamental to the management of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Its indications in the ICU are vast, including the facilitating of mechanical ventilation, permitting invasive procedures, and managing anxiety and agitation. Inhaled sedation with halogenated agents, such as isoflurane or sevoflurane, is now feasible in ICU patients using dedicated devices/systems.

Point prevalence of delirium among critically ill patients in Saudi Arabia: A multicenter observational study.

Background: Delirium in critically ill patients is independently associated with poor clinical outcomes. There is a scarcity of published data on the prevalence of delirium among critically ill patients in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, we sought to determine, in a multicenter fashion, the prevalence of delirium in critically ill patients in Saudi Arabia and explore associated risk factors.

Acquired hypernatremia in a general surgical Intensive Care Unit: Incidence and prognosis.

Purpose: Intensive Care Unit (ICU)-acquired hypernatremia (IAH) is a serious electrolyte disturbance that recently was shown to present an independent risk factor for mortality in critically ill patients. IAH has not been widely investigated in Surgical ICU (SICU) patients. No study has specifically investigated IAH epidemiology in the Kingdome of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in general SICU.

The rapid response team in outpatient settings identifies patients who need immediate intensive care unit admission: A call for policy maker.

Background: Caregivers in the ambulatory care setting with differing clinical background could encounter a patient at high risk of deterioration. In the absence of a dedicated acute care team, the response to an unanticipated medical emergencies in these settings is likely to have a poor outcome.

Objective: To describe our experience in implementing an intensivist-led rapid response team (RRT) in the outpatient settings that identified patients who needed immediate Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission.

A 70-year-old man with intraoperative hypoxia and hypotension during total hip replacement.

A 70-year-old man underwent total hip replacement surgery under general anesthesia, endotracheal intubation, and controlled ventilation, with the patient in left lateral position. Intraoperatively, the patient was hemodynamically stable, with a normal range of pulse, ECG trace, oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry (Spo2), and end-tidal CO2 (etco2). Five minutes after insertion of the hip prosthesis, his heart rate dropped to 30 beats/min, BP to 40/30 mm Hg, Spo2 to 70%, and etco2 to 10 mm Hg.

Making a Difference in Eye Care of the Critically Ill Patients.

Ocular surface disorders are frequently encountered in patients under sedation and paralyzed patients in intensive care units (ICUs). In the ICUs, treatment is usually focused on the management of organ failures, and eye care becomes a side issue. As a result, ophthalmological complications do occur (incidence ranges from 3.

Pulmonary hydatid cyst in a pregnant patient causing acute respiratory failure.

A 21-year-old primigravida, at 32 weeks of gestation, presented with acute onset of respiratory failure and circulatory shock. Chest imaging showed findings suggestive of ruptured hydatid cyst, which was confirmed by histology post-thoracotomy. Tissue cultures from the removed cyst grew Mycobacterium tuberculosis also.

Use of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation during pregnancy: case series.

Mechanical ventilation is commonly required in critically ill pregnant patients, requiring ICU admission, with higher morbidity and mortality related to airway management. Alternatively, noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) is increasingly used to treat nonpregnant patients. Pregnancy has been a contraindication to its use.

Successful use of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation in a complicated flail chest.

The current advanced trauma life support manual states that patients with significant hypoxia namely, SaO2 <90% on room air as a result of pulmonary contusion should be intubated and ventilated within the first hour of injury. Recently, several researchers have shown improved outcomes when patients with acute respiratory failure are managed with non-invasive positive pressure ventilation NIPPV. Trauma patients may also benefit from this therapy.

Clinical review: percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy.

As the number of critically ill patients requiring tracheotomy for prolonged ventilation has increased, the demand for a procedural alternative to the surgical tracheostomy (ST) has also emerged. Since its introduction, percutaneous dilatational tracheostomies (PDT) have gained increasing popularity. The most commonly cited advantages are the ease of the familiar technique and the ability to perform the procedure at the bedside.