Evaluation of the Needs for Palliative Care in Madeira Island: A Pre-pandemic Overview.

Introduction As general practitioners/family physicians, it is our duty to promote health and prevent disease by providing cure, care, or palliation. Palliative care (PC) plays a crucial role in integrated and patient-centered health services. In the Autonomous Region of Madeira (RAM), Portugal, the PC Unit (PCU) was established in 2012.

[Early progressive organ failure in patients with severe acute pancreatitis].

The aim of the study was to investigate the role of early multiple organ failure in 152 patients with severe acute pancreatitis admitted to the intensive care unit for the period from 2002 to 2009. The group of patients with early progressive multiple organ failure had high early (29%) and overall mortality (45%) rate, infectious complications rate (39%) and long intensive care unit stay (median - 8 (5; 18) days). Based on the statistical analysis of data the criteria to predicted risk progression of multiple organ failure on admission were: APACHE II score ≥12, SOFA score ≥4, failure >2 organs/systems, Ranson score ≥7.

[Pattern dynamics of bacteriemia and sepsis pathogens in ICU patients of emergency service].

The results of microbiological tests of 2382 blood specimens from 698 patients of three ICUs of the N. V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Service were analysed for a period of 2009 to 2012.

[Permanent venovenous hemofiltration in the complex therapy of severe acute pancreatitis].

Regardless of modern achievements in intensive therapy the mortality from severe acute pancreatitis progressed to a polyorganic insufficiency reaches 60%. Analysis of mortality structures shows that more than 50% of patients die from severe acute pancreatitis in first 72 hours, which is indicated as early severe pancreatitis. In the recent years the experimental and clinical studies proved that continuous vein to vein hemifiltration in the early stage allowes to lower the severity of poliorgan insufficiency and early death.

[Selective adsorption of endotoxin in the complex treatment of patients with severe sepsis].

Severe sepsis and septic shock remain the most serious problem of critical care medicine today with a mortality of 25-80%. Bacterial endotoxin is of considerable importance in the pathogenesis of sepsis. A selective hemosorbent in which endotoxin adsorption is accomplished via its binding to a synthetic peptide (LPS-A) has been recently designed in Sweden.