Highlights • Nocturnal hypercapnia may be present in daytime normocapnic neuromuscular patients. • Nocturnal hypercapnia seems to predict mechanical ventilation in follow-up. • Several cut-offs have ...been proposed to define nocturnal hypoventilation. • Peak TcCO2 should be the preferred criterion for nocturnal hypoventilation.
Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE), a complication of sepsis, is often complicated by acute and long-term brain dysfunction. SAE is associated with electroencephalogram pattern changes and ...abnormal neuroimaging findings. The major processes involved are neuroinflammation, circulatory dysfunction, and excitotoxicity. Neuroinflammation and microcirculatory alterations are diffuse, whereas excitotoxicity might occur in more specific structures involved in the response to stress and the control of vital functions. A dysfunction of the brainstem, amygdala, and hippocampus might account for the increased mortality, psychological disorders, and cognitive impairment. This review summarizes clinical and paraclinical features of SAE and describes its mechanisms at cellular and structural levels.
Abstract Models are mathematical tools used to describe real-world features. Therapeutic interventions in the field of critical care medicine may easily be translated into such models. Indeed, ...numerous variables influencing drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are systematically documented in the intensive care unit over time. Organ failure, fluid shifts, other drug administration, and renal replacement therapy may cause changes in physiological values, such as body weight and composition, temperature, serum protein levels, arterial pH, and renal or hepatic function. Trials assessing the efficacy and safety of novel drugs usually exclude critically ill patients, and guidelines regarding drug dosage rarely apply to such patients. Modeling in the critically ill may allow physicians to inform decisions related to therapeutic interventions, particularly relating to infectious diseases. However, few clinicians are familiar with these methods. Here, we present a current overview of population pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models applicable in critically ill patients aimed at nonspecialists and then emphazize recent potential of modeling for optimizing treatments and care in the intensive care unit.
