Laryngeal injury following endotracheal intubation: Have you considered reflux?

Laryngotracheal injury is an increasingly common complication of intubation and mechanical ventilation, with an estimated 87% of intubated and ventilated patients developing a laryngotracheal injury often preventing their rehabilitation from acute illness. Laryngotracheal injuries encompass a diverse set of pathologies including inflammation and oedema in addition to vocal cord ulceration and paralysis, granuloma, stenosis, and scarring. The existing literature has identified several factors including intubation duration, endotracheal tube size, type and cuff pressures, and technical factors including the skill and experience of the endoscopist.

Audit of ten years of donation after circulatory death experience in Queensland: observations of agonal physiology following withdrawal of cardiorespiratory support.

An audit of ten years' experience in all patients undergoing withdrawal of cardiorespiratory support (WCRS) in the context of donation after circulatory death (DCD) was conducted in Queensland, Australia (2008 to 2017). One hundred and seventy-one patients proceeded to donation after declaration of death by circulatory criteria with loss of pulsatile arterial blood pressure (circulatory arrest) for five minutes. The demographics, times and haemodynamic observations were abstracted, de-identified and collated.

PREDICT: a diagnostic accuracy study of a tool for predicting mortality within one year: who should have an advance healthcare directive?

Background: CARING is a screening tool developed to identify patients who have a high likelihood of death in 1 year.

Aim: This study sought to validate a modified CARING tool (termed PREDICT) using a population of patients presenting to the Emergency Department.

Setting/participants: In total, 1000 patients aged over 55 years who were admitted to hospital via the Emergency Department between January and June 2009 were eligible for inclusion in this study.

Donation after cardiac death in non-survivable burns.

Major burns have previously been considered a contraindication to solid organ donation. We present two cases of successful organ donation and transplantation, after Maastricht category III cardiac death in adult patients with non-survivable burns injury. The implications of the outcome of these cases are that major burns should not be considered a contraindication to organ donation, and that cardiac death provides opportunity for patients with non-survivable burns to contribute to the pool of potential organ donors.

Donation after cardiac death in Queensland: review of the pilot project.

Organ transplantation is a viable therapeutic option for patients with endstage organ failure when other therapies have been exhausted. Donation after cardiac death (DCD) is re-emerging as a potential option to expand the donor pool to meet an increasing demand for organ transplantation. In this review, we evaluate the evolution of the Queensland DCD pilot project since its inception in August 2008.

Remote care by telemedicine in the ICU: many models of care can be effective.

Purpose Of Review: Telemedicine, by the use of audiovisual technologies, is increasingly being used to assist in patient care by ICUs unable to be staffed by consultant intensivists. This review discusses the recent evaluation of these services and their potential role in managing intensive care patients.

Recent Findings: Models of care range from complete remote 24 h surveillance requiring direct video observation to a consultation liaison service only requiring conventional telephone links.