Articles

The prognostic performance of qSOFA for community-acquired pneumonia

Quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) is a new screening system for sepsis. The prognostic performance of qSOFA for patients with suspected infections outside the intensive care unit (ICU) is s...

Authors: Fumiaki Tokioka, Hiroshi Okamoto, Akio Yamazaki, Akihiro Itou and Tadashi Ishida

Preliminary guideline- and pathophysiology-based protocols for neurocritical care

Because of the complex pathophysiological processes involved, neurocritical care has been driven by anecdotal experience and physician preferences, which has led to care variation worldwide. Standardization of...

Authors: Yasuhiro Norisue, Yoshihisa Fujimoto and Kazuma Nakagawa

Lung-thorax compliance measured during a spontaneous breathing trial is a good index of extubation failure in the surgical intensive care unit: a retrospective cohort study

Extubation failure is associated with mortality and morbidity in the intensive care unit. Ventilator weaning protocols have been introduced, and extubation is conducted based on the results of a spontaneous br...

Authors: Yugo Okabe, Takehiko Asaga, Sayuri Bekku, Hiromi Suzuki, Kanae Kanda, Takeshi Yoda, Tomohiro Hirao and Gotaro Shirakami

A favorable outcome of intensive immunotherapies for new-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE)

New-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) is a newly defined critical disease entity characterized by prolonged periods of refractory epileptic seizure with no readily identifiable cause in otherwise hea...

Authors: Satoshi Kodama, Noritoshi Arai, Akiyoshi Hagiwara, Akio Kimura and Sousuke Takeuchi

The impact of smoking on patient outcomes in severe sepsis and septic shock

To assess, in the setting of severe sepsis and septic shock, whether current smokers have worse outcomes compared to non-smokers.

Authors: Fahad Alroumi, Ahmed Abdul Azim, Rachel Kergo, Yuxiu Lei and James Dargin

Reverse triggering induced by endotracheal tube leak in lightly sedated ARDS patient

Reverse triggering is respiratory entrainment triggered by the ventilator especially seen among heavily sedated patients. We confirmed reverse triggering induced by auto-triggering in lightly sedated patient t...

Authors: Taiga Itagaki, Yoshitoyo Ueno, Nobuto Nakanishi and Jun Oto

Preserving fertility in an unconscious patient with Goodpasture syndrome—medicolegal and ethical aspects

Every day in the ICU, legal issues arise while treating sedated, unconscious, and legally incapacitated patients. Whenever a life-saving treatment cannot be discussed in a timely manner with an unconscious pat...

Authors: Doreen Stark, Ruth Stiller, Min Xie, Damian Weber, Marco Maggiorini and Matthias Peter Hilty

Continuous EEG monitoring in ICU

Continuous electroencephalogram (CEEG) monitoring is increasingly being used for brain monitoring in neurocritical care setting. This is because of the proven effectiveness of CEEG in diagnosing nonconvulsive ...

Authors: Yuichi Kubota, Hidetoshi Nakamoto, Satoshi Egawa and Takakazu Kawamata

Comparison of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation outcome for influenza-associated acute respiratory failure in Japan between 2009 and 2016

Since the 2009 pandemic influenza, we have nationally established a committee of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) project. This project involves adequate respiratory management for severe respira...

Authors: Shinichiro Ohshimo, Nobuaki Shime, Satoshi Nakagawa, Osamu Nishida and Shinhiro Takeda

Serial change of C1 inhibitor in patients with sepsis: a prospective observational study

C1 inhibitor (C1-INH), which belongs to the superfamily of serine protease inhibitors, regulates the complement system and also the plasma kallikrein-kinin, fibrinolytic, and coagulation systems. The biologic ...

Authors: Tomoya Hirose, Hiroshi Ogura, Hiroki Takahashi, Masahiro Ojima, Kang Jinkoo, Youhei Nakamura, Takashi Kojima and Takeshi Shimazu

Daily use of extracorporeal CO₂ removal in a critical care unit: indications and results

While outcome improvement with extracorporeal CO₂ removal (ECCO₂R) is not demonstrated, a strong pathophysiological rational supports its use in the setting of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and COPD ...

Authors: Hadrien Winiszewski, François Aptel, François Belon, Nicolas Belin, Claire Chaignat, Cyrille Patry, Cecilia Clermont, Elise David, Jean-Christophe Navellou, Guylaine Labro, Gaël Piton and Gilles Capellier

Recruitment maneuver does not provide any mortality benefit over lung protective strategy ventilation in adult patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: a meta-analysis and systematic review of the randomized controlled trials

Clinical benefits of recruitment maneuver in ARDS patients are controversial. A number of previous studies showed possible benefits; a large recent study reported that recruitment maneuver and PEEP titration m...

Authors: Sulagna Bhattacharjee, Kapil D. Soni and Souvik Maitra

Safety of 4-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC) for emergent reversal of factor Xa inhibitors

Although factor Xa inhibitors have become a popular choice for chronic oral anticoagulation, effective drug reversal remains difficult due to a lack of specific antidote. Currently, 4-factor prothrombin comple...

Authors: Jing Tao, Elena N. Bukanova and Shamsuddin Akhtar

The lactate clearance calculated using serum lactate level 6 h after is an important prognostic predictor after extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a single-center retrospective observational study

Serum lactate level can predict clinical outcomes in some critical cases. In the clinical setting, we noted that patients undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) and with poor serum lact...

Authors: Takashi Mizutani, Norio Umemoto, Toshio Taniguchi, Hideki Ishii, Yuri Hiramatsu, Koji Arata, Horagaito Takuya, Sho Inoue, Tsuyoshi Sugiura, Toru Asai, Michiharu Yamada, Toyoaki Murohara and Kiyokazu Shimizu

Correction to: Clinical outcomes of patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction requiring the intensive care unit

In the original publication of this article [1], one author’s name was misspelling.

Authors: Ken Parhar, Victoria Millar, Vasileios Zochios, Emilia Bruton, Catherine Jaworski, Nick West and Alain Vuylsteke

Correction to: How to manage various arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in the cardiovascular intensive care

The author noted that major part of Acknowledgements section was inadvertently missing in the original article [1]. The new Acknowledgements can be found below.

Authors: Yoshinori Kobayashi

Heat stroke

Heat stroke is a life-threatening injury requiring neurocritical care; however, heat stroke has not been completely examined due to several possible reasons, such as no universally accepted definition or class...

Authors: Toru Hifumi, Yutaka Kondo, Keiki Shimizu and Yasufumi Miyake

A case of decompression illness not responding to hyperbaric oxygen

The case reinforces the importance of stepping back and looking at every possibility along with multiple co-existing pathologies. It takes into account the thought process of multiple systems and a multidiscip...

Authors: Asadullah Naqvi and Derrick Clarence

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: intensive care for improving neurological outcome

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is a life-threatening disease requiring neurocritical care. Delayed cerebral ischemia is a well-known complication that contributes to unfavorable neurological outcomes. Cere...

Authors: Tomoya Okazaki and Yasuhiro Kuroda

Self-reported fatigue following intensive care of chronically critically ill patients: a prospective cohort study

Protracted treatment on intensive care unit (ICU) sets the patients at increased risk for the development of chronic critical illness (CCI). Muscular and cardio-respiratory deconditioning are common long-term ...

Authors: Gloria-Beatrice Wintermann, Jenny Rosendahl, Kerstin Weidner, Bernhard Strauß, Andreas Hinz and Katja Petrowski

Accuracy of the first interpretation of early brain CT images for predicting the prognosis of post-cardiac arrest syndrome patients at the emergency department

Early brain CT is one of the most useful tools for estimating the prognosis in patients with post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) at the emergency department (ED). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prog...

Authors: Mitsuaki Nishikimi, Takayuki Ogura, Kota Matsui, Kunihiko Takahashi, Kenji Fukaya, Keibun Liu, Hideo Morita, Mitsunobu Nakamura, Shigeyuki Matsui and Naoyuki Matsuda

Correction to: Use of diaphragm thickening fraction combined with rapid shallow breathing index for predicting success of weaning from mechanical ventilator in medical patients

The original article [1] contained an error. The caption of Fig. 4 should be changed. The correct caption can be found below.

Authors: Pattarin Pirompanich and Sasithon Romsaiyut

Limitation of life support techniques at admission to the intensive care unit: a multicenter prospective cohort study

To determine the frequency of limitations on life support techniques (LLSTs) on admission to intensive care units (ICU), factors associated, and 30-day survival in patients with LLST on ICU admission.

Authors: Olga Rubio, Anna Arnau, Sílvia Cano, Carles Subirà, Begoña Balerdi, María Eugenía Perea, Miguel Fernández-Vivas, María Barber, Noemí Llamas, Susana Altaba, Ana Prieto, Vicente Gómez, Mar Martin, Marta Paz, Belen Quesada, Valentí Español…

How to manage various arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in the cardiovascular intensive care

In the clinical practice of cardiovascular critical care, we often observe a variety of arrhythmias in the patients either with (secondary) or without (idiopathic) underlying heart diseases. In this manuscript...

Authors: Yoshinori Kobayashi

Interleukin-6 is a key factor for immunoglobulin-like transcript-4-mediated immune injury in sepsis

ILT4⁺ monocytes seem to be associated with poor prognosis of sepsis in humans, but the exact mechanisms are unknown. This study aimed to examine the biological behaviors and effects of immunoglobulin-like transcr...

Authors: De Wen Zhang and Jian He

Hypomagnesemia in critically ill patients

Magnesium (Mg) is essential for life and plays a crucial role in several biochemical and physiological processes in the human body. Hypomagnesemia is common in all hospitalized patients, especially in critical...

Authors: Bent-Are Hansen and Øyvind Bruserud

Achieving the earliest possible reperfusion in patients with acute coronary syndrome: a current overview

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Appropriate management of ACS will lead to a lower incidence of cardiac arrest. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) ...

Authors: Takahiro Nakashima and Yoshio Tahara

Leukadherin-1 ameliorates endothelial barrier damage mediated by neutrophils from critically ill patients

Multi-organ failure occurs during critical illness and is mediated in part by destructive neutrophil-to-endothelial interactions. The β2 integrin receptor, CR3 (complement receptor 3; Mac-1; CD11b/CD18), which...

Authors: Catherine M. Dickinson, Brian W. LeBlanc, Muhammad M. Edhi, Daithi S. Heffernan, Mohd. Hafeez Faridi, Vineet Gupta, William G. Cioffi, Xian O’Brien and Jonathan S. Reichner

Regional overdistension during prone positioning in a patient with acute respiratory failure who was ventilated with a low tidal volume: a case report

Prone positioning may provide a uniform distribution of transpulmonary pressure and contribute to prevent ventilator-induced lung injury. However, despite moderate positive end-expiratory pressure and low tida...

Authors: Toru Kotani, Masanori Hanaoka, Shinya Hirahara, Hisashi Yamanaka, Eckhard Teschner and Atsuko Shono

Towards the second stage—Journal of Intensive Care

Authors: Hiroshi Morisaki

Seizure prophylaxis in the neuroscience intensive care unit

Seizures are a considerable complication in critically ill patients. Their incidence is significantly high in neurosciences intensive care unit patients. Seizure prophylaxis with anti-epileptic drugs is a comm...

Authors: Sushma Yerram, Nakul Katyal, Keerthivaas Premkumar, Premkumar Nattanmai and Christopher R. Newey

Management of patients with high-risk pulmonary embolism: a narrative review

High-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening disorder associated with high mortality and morbidity. Most deaths in patients with shock occur within the first few hours after presentation, and rapid ...

Authors: Takeshi Yamamoto

Management of acute aortic dissection and thoracic aortic rupture

Both acute aortic dissection and ruptured aortic aneurysm are leading causes of death in cardiovascular disease. These life-threatening conditions have recently been categorized as acute aortic syndrome. This ...

Authors: Toshihiro Fukui

Predictors associated with unplanned hospital readmission of medical and surgical intensive care unit survivors within 30 days of discharge

Reducing the 30-day unplanned hospital readmission rate is a goal for physicians and policymakers in order to improve quality of care. However, data on the readmission rate of critically ill patients in Japan ...

Authors: Tetsu Ohnuma, Daisuke Shinjo, Alan M. Brookhart and Kiyohide Fushimi

Effect of norepinephrine dosage on mortality in patients with septic shock

Use of high-dose norepinephrine is thought to have an immunosuppressive action that increases mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between norepinephrine dosage and prognosis of patients wit...

Authors: Hitoshi Yamamura, Yu Kawazoe, Kyohei Miyamoto, Tomonori Yamamoto, Yoshinori Ohta and Takeshi Morimoto

Intravenous immunoglobulin fails to improve ARDS in patients undergoing ECMO therapy

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is associated with high mortality rates. ARDS patients suffer from severe hypoxemia, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy may be necessary to ensure...

Authors: Stefanie Prohaska, Andrea Schirner, Albina Bashota, Andreas Körner, Gunnar Blumenstock and Helene A. Haeberle

The safety of a novel early mobilization protocol conducted by ICU physicians: a prospective observational study

There are numerous barriers to early mobilization (EM) in a resource-limited intensive care unit (ICU) without a specialized team or an EM culture, regarding patient stability while critically ill or in the pr...

Authors: Keibun Liu, Takayuki Ogura, Kunihiko Takahashi, Mitsunobu Nakamura, Hiroaki Ohtake, Kenji Fujiduka, Emi Abe, Hitoshi Oosaki, Dai Miyazaki, Hiroyuki Suzuki, Mitsuaki Nishikimi, Alan Kawarai Lefor and Takashi Mato

Utility of SOFA score, management and outcomes of sepsis in Southeast Asia: a multinational multicenter prospective observational study

Sepsis is a global threat but insufficiently studied in Southeast Asia. The objective was to evaluate management, outcomes, adherence to sepsis bundles, and mortality prediction of maximum Sequential Organ Fai...

Authors: Khie Chen Lie, Chuen-Yen Lau, Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, T. Eoin West and Direk Limmathurotsakul

Long-term recovery following critical illness in an Australian cohort

Almost all data on 5-year outcomes for critical care survivors come from North America and Europe. The aim of this study was to investigate long-term mortality, physical function, psychological outcomes and he...

Authors: Kimberley J. Haines, Sue Berney, Stephen Warrillow and Linda Denehy

The Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2016 (J-SSCG 2016)

The Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2016 (J-SSCG 2016), a Japanese-specific set of clinical practice guidelines for sepsis and septic shock created jointly by th...

Authors: Osamu Nishida, Hiroshi Ogura, Moritoki Egi, Seitaro Fujishima, Yoshiro Hayashi, Toshiaki Iba, Hitoshi Imaizumi, Shigeaki Inoue, Yasuyuki Kakihana, Joji Kotani, Shigeki Kushimoto, Yoshiki Masuda, Naoyuki Matsuda, Asako Matsushima, Taka-aki Nakada, Satoshi Nakagawa…

Use of diaphragm thickening fraction combined with rapid shallow breathing index for predicting success of weaning from mechanical ventilator in medical patients

Weaning failure is a crucial hindrance in critically ill patients. Rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI), a well-known weaning index, has some limitations in predicting weaning outcomes. A new weaning index usi...

Authors: Pattarin Pirompanich and Sasithon Romsaiyut

Clinical outcomes of patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction requiring the intensive care unit

Outcomes for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction continue to improve, largely due to timely provision of reperfusion by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). However, despite ...

Authors: Ken Parhar, Victoria Millar, Vasileios Zochios, Emilia Bruton, Catherine Jaworksi, Nick West and Alain Vuylsteke

Barriers and facilitators to early rehabilitation in mechanically ventilated patients—a theory-driven interview study

Despite a supportive evidence base and a push to implement, the uptake of early rehabilitation in critical care has been inconsistent. The objective of this study was to explore barriers and facilitators to ea...

Authors: Shannon L. Goddard, Fabiana Lorencatto, Ellen Koo, Louise Rose, Eddy Fan, Michelle E. Kho, Dale M. Needham, Gordon D. Rubenfeld, Jill J. Francis and Brian H. Cuthbertson

Predicting contrast-induced nephropathy after CT pulmonary angiography in the critically ill: a retrospective cohort study

It is uncertain whether we can predict contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) after CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA). This study compared the ability of a validated CIN prediction score with the Pulmonary Embolism ...

Authors: Kwok M. Ho and Yusrah Harahsheh

The impact of sepsis, delirium, and psychological distress on self-rated cognitive function in ICU survivors—a prospective cohort study

Many intensive care unit (ICU) survivors develop psychological problems and cognitive impairment. The relation between sepsis, delirium, and later cognitive problems is not fully elucidated, and the impact of ...

Authors: Emily Brück, Anna Schandl, Matteo Bottai and Peter Sackey

Early versus late tracheostomy after decompressive craniectomy for stroke

Stroke patients requiring decompressive craniectomy are at high risk of prolonged mechanical ventilation and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Tracheostomy placement may reduce the duration of mechanical ...

Authors: Michael P. Catalino, Feng-Chang Lin, Nathan Davis, Keith Anderson, Casey Olm-Shipman and J. Dedrick Jordan

Consideration of pain felt by patients in the ICU

Patients in the ICU are often treated under extreme conditions, with the patient often fearful of losing his life or experiencing severe pain. As a result, high-quality pain management is required. However, re...

Authors: Ryuichi Hasegawa

Evolved role of the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CICU)

Cardiovascular intensive care refers to special systemic management for the patients with severe cardiovascular disease (CVD), which consists of heart disease and vascular disease. CVD is one of the leading ca...

Authors: Shunji Kasaoka

Presence of chest tubes does not affect the hemodynamic efficacy of standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation

During cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), chest tubes can hinder increases in intrathoracic pressure by venting the pressure during chest compressions, thus reducing the blood flow generated by the thoracic ...

Authors: Gu Hyun Kang, Hyun Youk, Kyoung Chul Cha, Yoonsuk Lee, Hyung Il Kim, Yong Sung Cha, Oh Hyun Kim, Hyun Kim, Kang Hyun Lee and Sung Oh Hwang

Lithium: one drug, five complications

Lithium poisoning could trigger multiple complications. We report the case of a lithium poisoning with five complications that are described for the first time together.

Authors: Jeremy Zaworski, Pierre-Yves Delannoy, Nicolas Boussekey, Damien Thellier, Hugues Georges and Olivier Leroy