The objective of this study was to compare the provision of mechanical ventilation to pregnant/postpartum women and a nonpregnant matched control group admitted to the ICU with H1N1 influenza.
For cohort studies, the ideal is to have information not only on quality of life post-ICU, but also information on pre-ICU functional status, and an appropriate matched control group for comparison - a tall order.
As described previously, the control group in the analysis by Paramythiotou et. al. [ 54] matched control patients with cases on the basis of ICU length of stay and therefore we did not include this control group.
Length of stay (LOS) in the ICU and in hospital was shorter in the av-ECCO2R group than that of the matched control group treated with invasive mechanical ventilation (15 vs. 30 days for LOS in ICU; p = 0.26, and 23 vs. 42 days for LOS in hospital; p = 0.05).
However, memory was often impaired: the median factual recollection score of ICU patients was significantly lower than that of matched control patients.
Thus, we examined in vivo mitochondrial protein synthesis in skeletal muscle of patients treated in the ICU for sepsis induced MOF and compared this to age matched control subjects.
In the critically ill patients, serum FGF21 concentrations upon ICU admission were 8-fold higher than those in 20 healthy matched control subjects (p < 0.0001), decreased with time, but always remained higher in non-survivors than in survivors (p≤0.006).
Furthermore, compared to a matched control group, we found improved oxygenation, EVLWI and IAP reduction, fewer days on mechanical ventilation, shorter ICU stay, and reduced 28-day mortality in the PAL group.
Thigh muscles have shown to be very sensitive to muscle atrophy particularly acquired during the early phase of the ICU stay [ 7]; they are subject to a larger degree of muscle atrophy than muscles of the upper extremities after bed rest [ 22] and one year after ICU admission the fatigue resistance is still reduced compared to an age and gender matched control group [ 23].
There is no age matched control group.
