[Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for treatment of acute respiratory failure in adults].

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can support gas exchange independently of mechanical ventilation in patients with severe acute respiratory failure. Veno-venous ECMO is a temporary technique for providing life support by pulmonary dysfunction. ECMO should be considered for patients with respiratory failure when they cannot survive with conventional therapy.

[Assessment of the prognosis in patients who remain comatose after resuscitation from cardiac arrest].

In Denmark there are around 3,500 unexpected cardiac arrests (CA) out of hospital each year. There is an unknown number of CA in hospitals. The survival rate after CA outside a hospital in Denmark is 10% after 30 days.

The value of routine flexible sigmoidoscopy within 48 hours after surgical repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Background: Left-sided colonic and rectal ischemia is commonly seen after surgery for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAAs) and is associated with increased mortality. Earlier studies have shown that flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) may detect ischemia when performed postoperatively, and suggestions have been made that patients can be selected for FS based on clinical and biochemical parameters. We sought to perform FS in all patients surviving the first 24 hours after surgery for rAAA and to compare the findings of FS to clinical and biochemical parameters.

Three-year mortality among alcoholic patients after intensive care: a population-based cohort study.

Introduction: Alcoholic patients comprise a large proportion of patients in intensive care units (ICUs). However, data are limited on the impact of alcoholism on mortality after intensive care.

Methods: We conducted a cohort study among 16,848 first-time ICU patients between 2001 and 2007 to examine 30-day and 3-year mortality among alcoholic patients.

Guidelines for Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy (PDT) from the Danish Society of Intensive Care Medicine (DSIT) and the Danish Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DASAIM).

Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy is a common procedure in intensive care. This guideline from the Danish Society of Intensive Care Medicine (DSIT) and the Danish Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DASAIM) describes indications and contraindications, timing, complications compared to surgical tracheostomy, anaesthesia and technique, decannulation strategy, as well as training and education.

Comparison of Charlson comorbidity index with SAPS and APACHE scores for prediction of mortality following intensive care.

Background: Physiology-based severity of illness scores are often used for risk adjustment in observational studies of intensive care unit (ICU) outcome. However, the complexity and time constraints of these scoring systems may limit their use in administrative databases. Comorbidity is a main determinant of ICU outcome, and comorbidity scores can be computed based on data from most administrative databases.

[Influenza A H1N1v treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation].

A 37-year-old woman with body mass index > 30 was admitted to hospital with severe pneumonia due to H1N1v. Thoracic X-ray showed bilateral, diffuse infiltrates. There was no sign of complicating bacterial infection and all microbiological tests of tracheal secretion, blood and urine were negative.

Preadmission statin use and one-year mortality among patients in intensive care - a cohort study.

Introduction: Statins reduce risk of cardiovascular events and have beneficial pleiotropic effects; both may reduce mortality in critically ill patients. We examined whether statin use was associated with risk of death in general intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

Methods: Cohort study of 12,483 critically ill patients > 45 yrs of age with a first-time admission to one of three highly specialized ICUs within the Aarhus University Hospital network, Denmark, between 2001 and 2007.

[Clinical database for intensive care patients].

Intensive care contributes to a substantial part of health care expenses. Admission to intensive care units is associated with a high mortality rate and a high risk of long-term disability. Data from several studies suggest that suboptimal standards of intensive care are relatively common.

A binational cohort study of ventilator-associated pneumonia in Denmark and Australia.

The objective was to determine the incidence and prognosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in intensive care units (ICUs) in Melbourne (29-bed ICU), Australia and Aarhus and Aalborg (22-bed unit and 8-bed ICU, respectively), Denmark and to characterize participating ICUs with regard to prevalence of nosocomial type bacterial pathogens, antibiotic resistance and antibiotic consumption. In this prospective cohort study 25 patients in Melbourne and 32 patients in Aarhus + Aalborg had a first episode of VAP. The incidence of VAP per 1000 ventilator d was 6.