What is Guillain-Barré Syndrome?
Guillain-Barré syndrome is a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. The first symptoms of this disorder include varying degrees of weakness or tingling sensations in the legs. In many instances, the weakness and abnormal sensations spread to the arms and upper body. These symptoms [...]
Tags: autoimmune, GBS, Neurologist, Neuromuscular disease
Signs and symptoms of pancreatitis may vary depending on which type you experience.
Acute pancreatitis signs and symptoms include:
Upper abdominal pain
Abdominal pain that radiates to your back
Abdominal pain that feels worse after eating
Abdominal pain that’s somewhat relieved by leaning forward or curling into a ball
Nausea
Vomiting
Tenderness when touching the abdomen
Chronic pancreatitis signs and symptoms include:
Upper abdominal pain
Indigestion
Losing [...]
Tags: acute phase, alcohol dependence, Amylase, Cholecystectomy, ERCP, fat, Lipase, nutrients, pancreatitis
his extreme metabolic derangement occurs through a combination of intercurrent illness, dehydration and an inability to take normal diabetic therapy due to the effect of illness. It is a potentially life-threatening emergency. HONK is characterised by severe hyperglycaemia with marked serum hyperosmolarity, without evidence of significant ketosis.
Hyperglycaemia causes an osmotic diuresis with hyperosmolarity leading to [...]
Tags: Coma, Diabetes and Intercurrent Illness, Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Childhood Ketoacidosis., Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Summary. Since the initial 1996 American Thoracic Society (ATS) guideline on nosocomial pneumonia, a number of new developments have appeared, mandating a new evidence-based guideline for hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), including healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). This document, prepared by a joint committee of the ATS and Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), focuses [...]
Tags: Antibiotics, guidelines, HAP, HCAP, MDR, MRSA, Pneumonia, Pseudomonas, VAP
Background and Aims: The emergence of multidrug resistant strains of Gram-negative bacteria, especially the lactose nonfermenters like Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter, in the intensive care units have prompted renewed worldwide interest in the polymyxins. However, perceived nephrotoxicity has been a major vexation limiting their early and regular use in severe sepsis. This study was conducted to [...]
Tags: Acute renal failure, Gram-negative organisms, multidrug resistant, polymyxin B, severe sepsis and septic shock
Norepinephrine (NE) is mostly used to treat severe hypotension. However, NE has potentially adverse vasoconstrictive effects on regional vascular beds of kidney, liver, and gut, with a potential for ensuing organ dysfunction. NE therefore is considered as a last reserve in otherwise refractory hypotension. During sepsis, a loss of catecholamine responsiveness occurs that is often [...]
Tags: blood flow, hypotension, NE, norepinephrine, organ dysfunction, sepsis, vasoconstriction
Background: The Institute of Medicine calls for the use of
clinical guidelines and practice parameters to promote “best
practices” and to improve patient outcomes.
Objective: 2007 update of the 2002 American College of Critical
Care Medicine Clinical Guidelines for Hemodynamic Support of
Neonates and Children with Septic Shock.
Participants: Society of Critical Care Medicine members with
special interest in neonatal and pediatric [...]
Tags: guidelines, Hemodynamic Support, sepsis, severe sepsis
improve the care of intensive care unit (ICU) patients during the
dying process. The recommendations build on those published in
2003 and highlight recent developments in the field from a U.S.
perspective. They do not use an evidence grading system because
most of the recommendations are based on ethical and legal
principles that are not derived from empirically based evidence.
Principal [...]
Tags: decision making, End-of-life, ethics, intensive care unit, palliative care, quality improvement
Objective: To provide an update to the original Surviving Sepsis Campaign
clinical management guidelines, “Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines for Management
of Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock,” published in 2004.
Design: Modified Delphi method with a consensus conference of 55 international
experts, several subsequent meetings of subgroups and key individuals,
teleconferences, and electronic-based discussion among subgroups and among
the entire committee. This [...]
Tags: Assessment, Development and Evaluation criteria, evidence-based medicine, GRADE, Grades of Recommendation, guidelines, infection, sepsis, sepsis bundle, sepsis syndrome, septic shock, severe sepsis, Surviving Sepsis Campaign