Survey on physicians' knowledge of sepsis: do they recognize it promptly?

Purpose: In Brazil, sepsis has a high mortality; and early recognition is essential in outcome. The aim of the study was to evaluate physicians' knowledge about systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock concepts.

Methods: This was a prospective, observational study performed in 21 hospitals in Brazil, which enrolled physicians working in the participant institutions.

Characteristics and outcomes of patients with cancer requiring admission to intensive care units: a prospective multicenter study.

Objective: To evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with cancer admitted to several intensive care units. Knowledge on patients with cancer requiring intensive care is mostly restricted to single-center studies.

Design: : Prospective, multicenter, cohort study.

Delirium recognition and sedation practices in critically ill patients: a survey on the attitudes of 1015 Brazilian critical care physicians.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to characterize the practices of Brazilian ICU physicians toward sedation and delirium.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of critical care physicians between April and June 2008.

Results: One thousand fifteen critical care physicians responded.

Development and simultaneous application of multiple care protocols in critical care: a multicenter feasibility study.

Objective: To test the feasibility of and interactions among three software-driven critical care protocols.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Intensive care units in six European and American university hospitals.

[Brazilian consensus of monitoring and hemodynamic support - part III: alternative methods for cardiac output monitoring and volemia estimation].

Background And Objectives: Cardiac output and preload as absolute data do not offer helpful information about the hemodynamic of critically ill patients. However, monitoring the response of these variables to volume challenge or inotropic drugs is a very useful tool in the critical care setting, particularly for patients with signs of tissue hypoperfusion. Although PAC remains the " gold standard" to measure cardiac output and preload, new and alternative technologies were developed to evaluate these hemodynamic variables.

[Part II: basic hemodynamic monitoring and the use of pulmonary artery catheter].

Background And Objectives: Monitoring of vital functions is one of the most important tools in the management of critically ill patients. Nowadays is possible to detect and analyze a great deal of physiologic data using a lot of invasive and non-invasive methods. The intensivist must be able to select and carry out the most appropriate monitoring technique according to the patient requirements and taking into account the benefit/risk ratio.