End-of-life decision-making and quality of ICU performance: an observational study in 84 Italian units.

Purpose: To appraise the end-of-life decision-making in several intensive care units (ICUs) and to evaluate the association between the average inclination to limit treatment and overall survival at ICU level.

Design: Prospective, multicenter, observational study, lasting 12 months.

Setting: Eighty-four Italian, adult ICUs.

Delivered dose of renal replacement therapy and mortality in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury.

Introduction: The optimal dialysis dose for the treatment of acute kidney injury (AKI) is controversial. We sought to evaluate the relationship between renal replacement therapy (RRT) dose and outcome.

Methods: We performed a prospective multicentre observational study in 30 intensive care units (ICUs) in eight countries from June 2005 to December 2007.

Study protocol: the DOse REsponse Multicentre International collaborative initiative (DO-RE-MI).

Introduction: Current practices for renal replacement therapy in intensive care units (ICUs) remain poorly defined. The DOse REsponse Multicentre International collaborative initiative (DO-RE-MI) will address the issue of how the different modes of renal replacement therapy are currently chosen and performed. Here, we describe the study protocol, which was approved by the Scientific and Steering Committees.