Passive leg raising can predict fluid responsiveness in patients placed on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Introduction: In ICUs, fluid administration is frequently used to treat hypovolaemia. Because volume expansion (VE) can worsen acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and volume overload must be avoided, predictive indicators of fluid responsiveness are needed. The purpose of this study was to determine whether passive leg raising (PLR) can be used to predict fluid responsiveness in patients with ARDS treated with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Postoperative ketamine administration decreases morphine consumption in major abdominal surgery: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled study.

Background: Ketamine decreases postoperative morphine consumption, but its optimal dosing and duration of administration remain unclear. In this study, we compared the effects of ketamine administration on morphine consumption limited to the intraoperative period, or continued for 48 h postoperatively.

Methods: Eighty-one patients scheduled for abdominal surgery were prospectively randomized under double-blind conditions to three groups: (1) PERI group receiving intraoperative and postoperative ketamine for the first 48 h after surgery (2 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) after a 0.

Insulin maintains plasma antioxidant capacity at an early phase of kidney transplantation.

Background: Ischaemia-reperfusion and hyperglycaemia are two main sources of oxidative stress that plays an important role in the pathophysiology of tissue injury in transplant recipients. We hypothesized that controlling hyperglycaemia with insulin during the first hours following kidney transplantation could improve antioxidant defences and therefore decrease ischaemia-reperfusion-induced injury.

Method: We performed a prospective randomized study in non-diabetic dialysed patients receiving a first cadaveric renal allograft, and assigned them to receive either 200 g/day of glucose infusion (control group, n=23) or the same glucose infusion and intravenous insulin to maintain blood glucose<10 mmol/l (insulin group, n=20).