Articles

Procalcitonin for the differential diagnosis of infectious and non-infectious systemic inflammatory response syndrome after cardiac surgery

This study was performed to assess the value of procalcitonin (PCT) for the differential diagnosis between infectious and non-infectious systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) after cardiac surgery.

Authors: Dong Zhao, Jianxin Zhou, Go Haraguchi, Hirokuni Arai and Chieko Mitaka

Decrease in cuff pressure during the measurement procedure: an experimental study

To prevent endotracheal tube (ETT)-related complications during mechanical ventilation, ETT cuff pressure should be kept within proper range. In clinical settings, cuff pressure often decreases from target val...

Authors: Shota Asai, Asuka Motoyama, Yuri Matsumoto, Hiroyuki Konami, Hideaki Imanaka and Masaji Nishimura

Neurological outcomes after extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a retrospective observational study in a rural tertiary care center

In a rural region with few medical resources, we have promoted the strategy that if an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patient is likely reversible, he or she should be transported directly from the scen...

Authors: Katsunori Mochizuki, Hiroshi Imamura, Tomomi Iwashita and Kazufumi Okamoto

Pathophysiology and biomarkers of acute respiratory distress syndrome

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is defined as an acute-onset, progressive, hypoxic condition with radiographic bilateral lung infiltration, which develops after several diseases or injuries, and is ...

Authors: Seitaro Fujishima

Estimation of renal function in the intensive care unit: the covert concepts brought to light

Frantic efforts have been made up to this date to derive consensus for estimating renal function in critically ill patients, only to open the Pandora's box. This article tries to explore the various methods av...

Authors: Sham Sunder, Rajesh Jayaraman, Himanshu Sekhar Mahapatra, Satyanand Sathi, Venkata Ramanan, Prabhu Kanchi, Anurag Gupta, Sunil Kumar Daksh and Pranit Ram

Post-marketing surveillance data of thrombomodulin alfa: sub-analysis in patients with sepsis-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation

Thrombomodulin alfa (TM-α, recombinant thrombomodulin) significantly improved disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) when compared with heparin therapy in a phase III study. Post-marketing surveillance o...

Authors: Yutaka Eguchi, Satoshi Gando, Hiroyasu Ishikura, Daizoh Saitoh, Jun Mimuro, Hoyu Takahashi, Isao Kitajima, Hajime Tsuji, Tadashi Matsushita, Ryuichi Tsujita, Osamu Nagao and Yoichi Sakata

Performance of the SAPS 3 admission score as a predictor of ICU mortality in a Philippine private tertiary medical center intensive care unit

This study aimed to assess the performance of the Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 (SAPS 3) as a predictor of ICU mortality in critically ill patients of different case mixes admitted to an intensive care u...

Authors: Aaron Mark R Hernandez and Jose Emmanuel M Palo

Basic life support training for single rescuers efficiently augments their willingness to make early emergency calls with no available help: a cross-over questionnaire survey

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of basic life support (BLS) training on willingness of single rescuers to make emergency calls during out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) with no available ...

Authors: Keiko Hirose, Miki Enami, Hiroki Matsubara, Takahisa Kamikura, Yutaka Takei and Hideo Inaba

Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) of mechanical ventilators by clinical engineers

Mechanical ventilator failures expose patients to unacceptable risks, and maintaining mechanical ventilator safety is an important issue. We examined the usefulness of maintaining mechanical ventilators by cli...

Authors: Jun Yoshioka, Masaki Nakane and Kaneyuki Kawamae

Perioperative fluid balance affects staging of acute kidney injury in postsurgical patients: a retrospective case-control study

Although Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) staging is widely used, it has been suggested that classification using serum creatinine levels, which fluctuate because of fluid balance, is not always appropriate ...

Authors: Yu Horiguchi, Akinori Uchiyama, Naoya Iguchi, Kanaki Sakai, Daisuke Hiramatsu, Kazuyoshi Ueta, Noriyuki Ohta and Yuji Fujino

Global end-diastolic volume is an important contributor to increased extravascular lung water in patients with acute lung injury and acuterespiratory distress syndrome: a multicenter observational study

Extravascular lung water (EVLW), as measured by the thermodilution method, reflects the extent of pulmonary edema. Currently, there are no clinically effective treatments for preventing increases in pulmonary ...

Authors: Tadashi Kaneko, Yoshikatsu Kawamura, Tsuyoshi Maekawa, Takashi Tagami, Toshiaki Nakamura, Nobuyuki Saito, Yasuhide Kitazawa, Hiroyasu Ishikura, Manabu Sugita, Kazuo Okuchi, Hiroshi Rinka, Akihiro Watanabe, Yoichi Kase, Shigeki Kushimoto, Hiroo Izumino, Takashi Kanemura…

Difference in pulmonary permeability between indirect and direct acute respiratory distress syndrome assessed by the transpulmonary thermodilution technique: a prospective, observational, multi-institutional study

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by the increased pulmonary permeability secondary to diffuse alveolar inflammation and injuries of several origins. Especially, the distinction betwe...

Authors: Kenichiro Morisawa, Shigeki Fujitani, Yasuhiko Taira, Shigeki Kushimoto, Yasuhide Kitazawa, Kazuo Okuchi, Hiroyasu Ishikura, Teruo Sakamoto, Takashi Tagami, Junko Yamaguchi, Manabu Sugita, Yoichi Kase, Takashi Kanemura, Hiroyuki Takahashi, Yuuichi Kuroki, Hiroo Izumino…

Pros and cons of tetrastarch solution for critically ill patients

Proper fluid management is crucial for the management of critically ill patients. However, there is a continuing debate about the choice of the fluid, i.e., crystalloid vs. colloid. Colloid solution is theoret...

Authors: Daisuke Toyoda, Shigeo Shinoda and Yoshifumi Kotake

Hyperammonemia due to urea cycle disorders: a potentially fatal condition in the intensive care setting

Disorders of the urea cycle are secondary to a defect in the system that converts ammonia into urea, resulting in accumulation of ammonia and other products. This results in encephalopathy, coma, and death if ...

Authors: MarcelCerqueira Cesar Machado and Fabiano Pinheiro da Silva

IV injection of polystyrene beads for mouse model of sepsis causes severe glomerular injury

Infusion fluids may be contaminated with different types of particulates that are a potential health hazard. Particulates larger than microvessels may cause an embolism by mechanical blockage and inflammation;...

Authors: Hajime Arima, Hiroyuki Hirate, Takeshi Sugiura, Shugo Suzuki, Satoru Takahashi and Kazuya Sobue

Classifying types of disseminated intravascular coagulation: clinical and animal models

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) has a common pathogenesis in terms of persistent widespread activation of coagulation in the presence of underlying disease, but the degree of fibrinolytic activati...

Authors: Hidesaku Asakura

Clinical characteristics of yamakagashi (Rhabdophis tigrinus) bites: a national survey in Japan, 2000–2013

Yamakagashi (Rhabdophis tigrinus) is a species of pit viper present throughout Russia and Eastern Asia. Although R. tigrinus venom is known to induce life-threatening hemorrhagic symptoms, the clinical characteri...

Authors: Toru Hifumi, Atsushi Sakai, Akihiko Yamamoto, Masahiro Murakawa, Manabu Ato, Keigo Shibayama, Akihiko Ginnaga, Hiroshi Kato, Yuichi Koido, Junichi Inoue, Yuko Abe, Kenya Kawakita, Masanobu Hagiike and Yasuhiro Kuroda

Comparison of the McGrath MAC video laryngoscope and the Pentax Airwayscope during chest compression: a manikin study

We tested the utility of the McGrath MAC^® (McG) video laryngoscope during chest compression compared with the Pentax Airwayscope^® (AWS). We recruited 59 participants into the simulation study. The difference in t...

Authors: Atsushi Kotera, Hiroki Irie, Shinsuke Iwashita, Junichi Taniguchi, Shunji Kasaoka and Yoshihiro Kinoshita

Patient questionnaire following closure of tracheotomy fistula: percutaneous vs. surgical approaches

Tracheotomy is an indispensable component in intensive care management. Doctors in charge of the intensive care unit (ICU) usually decide whether tracheotomy should be performed. However, long-term follow-up o...

Authors: Yukihiro Ikegami, Ken Iseki, Chiaki Nemoto, Yasuhiko Tsukada, Jiro Shimada and Choichiro Tase

Safety and effective use of landiolol in the ICU

Supplemental landiolol administration (20 or 40 μg kg^-1 min^-1) effectively diminished harmful hemodynamic changes during bronchoscopic endotracheal suctioning compared to normal saline. However, inappropriate use...

Authors: Toru Hifumi, Hiroshi Kato, Yuichi Koido, Kenya Kawakita and Yasuhiro Kuroda

Diagnosis and treatment of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) according to four DIC guidelines

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is categorized into bleeding, organ failure, massive bleeding, and non-symptomatic types according to the sum of vectors for hypercoagulation and hyperfibrinolysis....

Authors: Hideo Wada, Takeshi Matsumoto and Yoshiki Yamashita

Body temperature abnormalities in non-neurological critically ill patients: a review of the literature

Body temperature abnormalities, which occur because of several infectious and non-infectious etiologies, are among the most commonly noted symptoms of critically ill patients. These abnormalities frequently tr...

Authors: Shigeki Kushimoto, Satoshi Yamanouchi, Tomoyuki Endo, Takeaki Sato, Ryosuke Nomura, Motoo Fujita, Daisuke Kudo, Taku Omura, Noriko Miyagawa and Tetsuya Sato

A case of purpura fulminans caused by Hemophilus influenzae complicated by reversible cardiomyopathy

Here, we report a case of a 41-year-old male diagnosed as septic shock with purpura fulminans (PF) infection. The causative organism was β-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant Hemophilus influenzae. He develop...

Authors: Akira Endo, Atsushi Shiraishi, Junichi Aiboshi, Yoshiro Hayashi and Yasuhiro Otomo

Low prevalence of active cytomegalovirus infection in a cardiovascular intensive care unit

Active cytomegalovirus infection is not uncommon in critically ill non-immunosuppressed patients. We conducted a preliminary observational study to determine the prevalence of active cytomegalovirus infection ...

Authors: Haruhiko Ishioka, Masamitsu Sanui, Yusuke Tsutsumi, Fumitaka Yanase and Junji Shiotsuka

Clinical experience with an active intravascular rewarming technique for near-severe hypothermia associated with traumatic injury

Hypothermia and acidosis are secondary causes of trauma-related coagulopathy. Here we report the case of a 72-year-old patient with severe trauma who suffered near-severe hypothermia despite the initiation of ...

Authors: Kazutaka Kiridume, Toru Hifumi, Kenya Kawakita, Tomoya Okazaki, Hideyuki Hamaya, Natsuyo Shinohara, Yuko Abe, Koshiro Takano, Masanobu Hagiike and Yasuhiro Kuroda

The molecular mechanism of acute lung injury caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa: from bacterial pathogenesis to host response

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most common gram-negative pathogen causing pneumonia in immunocompromised patients. Acute lung injury induced by bacterial exoproducts is associated with a poor outcome in P. aerugin...

Authors: Teiji Sawa

End-of-life considerations in the ICU in Japan: ethical and legal perspectives

In Japan, the continuation of critical care at the end of life is a common practice due to the threat of legal action against physicians that may choose a palliative care approach. This is beginning to change ...

Authors: Jun Makino, Shigeki Fujitani, Bridget Twohig, Steven Krasnica and John Oropello

ICU service in Taiwan

The aim of the study was to understand the current status of intensive care unit (ICU) in order to optimize the resources achieving the best possible care.

Authors: Kuo-Chen Cheng, Chin-Li Lu, Yueh-Chih Chung, Mei-Chen Huang, Hsiu-Nien Shen, Hsing-Min Chen and Haibo Zhang

Reviewer acknowledgement 2013

The editors of Journal of Intensive Care would like to thank all our reviewers who have contributed to the journal in Volume 1 (2013).

Authors: Satoshi Gando

Changes in endotracheal tube cuff pressure in mechanically ventilated adult patients

During mechanical ventilation, endotracheal tube cuff pressure should be maintained within proper range. We investigated the effect of frequent adjustment on cuff pressure in 27 mechanically ventilated patient...

Authors: Asuka Motoyama, Shota Asai, Hiroyuki Konami, Yuri Matsumoto, Takuyo Misumi, Hideaki Imanaka and Masaji Nishimura

Landiolol reduces hemodynamic responses to bronchoscopy-assisted suctioning in intubated ICU patients

Landiolol is an ultra-short-acting β₁-selective antagonist developed in Japan that was recently approved for the treatment of tachycardia in intensive care units (ICUs). This study investigated the protective eff...

Authors: Junpei Tochikubo, Yushi U Adachi, Tadashi Ejima, Atsushi Numaguchi, Naoyuki Matsuda, Shigehito Sato and Norihiko Shiiya

Evaluation of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation after extubation from moderate positive end-expiratory pressure level in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery: a prospective observational study

It remains to be clarified if the application of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) is effective after extubation in patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure who require the sufficient level o...

Authors: Takeshi Suzuki, Takuya Kurazumi, Shinya Toyonaga, Yuya Masuda, Yoshihisa Morita, Junichi Masuda, Shizuko Kosugi, Nobuyuki Katori and Hiroshi Morisaki

Respiratory support with nasal high-flow therapy helps to prevent recurrence of postoperative atelectasis: a case report

Postoperative atelectasis should be avoided in surgical patients with impaired pulmonary function. Nasal high-flow (NHF) therapy delivered by the Optiflow™ system (Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Ltd., Auckland, Ne...

Authors: Yasuyuki Suzuki and Yasushi Takasaki

Update in acute respiratory distress syndrome

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by permeability pulmonary edema and refractory hypoxemia. Recently, the new definition of ARDS has been published, and this definition suggested seve...

Authors: Younsuck Koh

An analysis of the relationship between Glasgow Coma Scale score and plasma glucose level according to the severity of hypoglycemia

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of an individual with hypoglycemia is expected to be low due to an insufficient glucose supply to the brain. However, we sometimes encounter hypoglycemic patients with high G...

Authors: Atsushi Kotera, Shinsuke Iwashita, Hiroki Irie, Junichi Taniguchi, Shunji Kasaoka and Yoshihiro Kinoshita

Thrombocytopenia in adult patients with sepsis: incidence, risk factors, and its association with clinical outcome

Sepsis is a major risk factor for the development of thrombocytopenia, but few studies have specifically evaluated prognostic importance of thrombocytopenia in patients with sepsis. We investigated the inciden...

Authors: Chakradhar Venkata, Rahul Kashyap, J Christopher Farmer and Bekele Afessa

Erratum to: Temperature of gas delivered from ventilators

Authors: Yusuke Chikata, Masayo Izawa, Hideaki Imanaka, Nao Okuda and Masaji Nishimura

A comparison between dosages and plasma concentrations of dexmedetomidine in clinically ill patients: a prospective, observational, cohort study in Japan

Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective central α₂-agonist with anesthetic and analgesic properties for patients in intensive care units. There is little information about the relationship between dosage and plasma...

Authors: Yoshihito Fujita, Koichi Inoue, Tasuku Sakamoto, Saya Yoshizawa, Maiko Tomita, Yoshie Maeda, Hitomi Taka, Ai Muramatsu, Youichiro Hattori, Hiroyuki Hirate, Toshimasa Toyo'oka and Kazuya Sobue

Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in critically ill patients and its influence on outcome: experience from a tertiary care centre in North India (an observational study)

Limited studies are available on prevalence and severity of vitamin D deficiency in a critically ill population. To the best of our knowledge, this the first study of its kind in an Indian intensive care set-up.

Authors: Afzal Azim, Armin Ahmed, Subhash Yadav, Arvind K Baronia, Mohan Gurjar, Madan M Godbole, Banani Poddar and Ratender K Singh

Neutrophil cell death in response to infection and its relation to coagulation

Neutrophil is a major player in the pathophysiology of severe sepsis. Recent studies have revealed that the cell death mechanism of neutrophils directly relates to the development of organ dysfunction during s...

Authors: Toshiaki Iba, Naoyuki Hashiguchi, Isao Nagaoka, Yoko Tabe and Miwa Murai

Effects of epinephrine administration in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest based on a propensity analysis

Epinephrine administration has been advocated for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for decades. Despite the fact that epinephrine administration during CPR is internationally accepted, the effects of the pr...

Authors: Mineji Hayakawa, Satoshi Gando, Hirotoshi Mizuno, Yasufumi Asai, Yasuo Shichinohe, Isao Takahashi and Hiroshi Makise

Limitations of global end-diastolic volume index as a parameter of cardiac preload in the early phase of severe sepsis: a subgroup analysis of a multicenter, prospective observational study

In patients with severe sepsis, depression of cardiac performance is common and is often associated with left ventricular (LV) dilatation to maintain stroke volume. Although it is essential to optimize cardiac...

Authors: Tomoyuki Endo, Shigeki Kushimoto, Satoshi Yamanouchi, Teruo Sakamoto, Hiroyasu Ishikura, Yasuhide Kitazawa, Yasuhiko Taira, Kazuo Okuchi, Takashi Tagami, Akihiro Watanabe, Junko Yamaguchi, Kazuhide Yoshikawa, Manabu Sugita, Yoichi Kase, Takashi Kanemura, Hiroyuki Takahashi…

Is wet swab superior to dry swab as an intranasal screening test?

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is still a great concern, and recognition of the carrier is essential for appropriate infection control in intensive care units. The utility of wet swab compared to dry...

Authors: Hideharu Hagiya, Mitsunobu Mio, Tomoko Murase, Keiko Egawa, Yumi Kokumai, Taeko Uchida, Naoki Morimoto, Fumio Otsuka and Sumiko Shiota

Subcutaneous emphysema and ultrasound sonography

Subcutaneous emphysema is not a rare complication in intensive care unit patients. Recently, ultrasound guidance for central venous puncture is becoming popular; however, the information on imaging for subcuta...

Authors: Toshi Kubodera, Yushi U Adachi, Toshiyuki Hatano, Tadashi Ejima, Atsushi Numaguchi and Naoyuki Matsuda

A case of Strongyloides hyperinfection associated with tuberculosis

Strongyloidiasis is a parasitic infection that occurs in tropical regions. Hyperinfection, which is an accelerated autoinfection, is often associated with an immunosuppressive state, such as HTLV-1 infection o...

Authors: Yoshiaki Iwashita, Kei Suzuki, Asami Masui, Eiji Kawamoto, Kazuto Yokoyama, Akitaka Yamamoto, Yukinari Omori, Ken Ishikura, Tsuyoshi Hatada, Masaki Fujioka, Taichi Takeda and Hiroshi Imai

Temperature of gas delivered from ventilators

Although heated humidifiers (HHs) are the most efficient humidifying device for mechanical ventilation, some HHs do not provide sufficient humidification when the inlet temperature to the water chamber is high...

Authors: Yusuke Chikata, Mutsuo Onodera, Hideaki Imanaka and Masaji Nishimura

Evaluating the fundamental critical care support course in critical care education in Japan: a survey of Japanese fundamental critical care support course experience

The Fundamental Critical Care Support (FCCS) course has been introduced after minimal adaptation according to Japanese clinical settings. The original course in the USA is often used to prepare residents for r...

Authors: Kazuaki Atagi, Shinichi Nishi, Shigeki Fujitani, Takamitsu Kodama, Junya Ishikawa and Hideki Shimaoka

Arbekacin treatment of a patient infected with a Pseudomonas putida producing a metallo-beta-lactamase

Treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas species is difficult because few antibiotics active against such organisms are available. Arbekacin, a relatively new aminoglycoside, is effective...

Authors: Yoshiaki Iwashita, Tomoyuki Enokiya, Kei Suzuki, Kazuto Yokoyama, Akitaka Yamamoto, Ken Ishikura, Masahiro Okuda and Hiroshi Imai

Evaluation of semi-quantitative scoring of Gram staining or semi-quantitative culture for the diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia: a retrospective comparison with quantitative culture

Semi-quantitative Gram stain and culture methods are still commonly used for diagnosing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), due to its convenience. Only a few studies, however, have assessed the reliability...

Authors: Soshi Hashimoto and Nobuaki Shime

Journal of Intensive Care: a new journal for all intensive care physicians

Authors: Satoshi Gando