Analysis of data from 4,459 patients with severe sepsis from five clinical trials in an integrated database showed that increased time to treatment with drotrecogin alfa (activated) was associated with more organ dysfunction, greater need of mechanical ventilation, and greater use of vasopressors.
After cardiac surgery, 188 patients with COPD under mechanical ventilation for greater than 24 hours and failed extubation were prospectively randomized to receive a T-tube spontaneous breating trial (n = 94) or 2-hour BIPAP trial (n = 92).
Subgroup analysis of a retrospective review of pregnant women from 4 ICUs in 4 countries over a 10 year period, who received mechanical ventilation for greater than 24 hours.
We know that critically ill patients with mechanical ventilation have greater fluid retention, not breathing spontaneously.
Consequently, the median length of mechanical ventilation was greater in this group (101.8 days).
Complications include constipation, diarrhoea, delays in mechanical ventilation weaning, greater length of stays, dehydration, and bowel obstruction or perforation [ 3, 6- 9].
In-hospital mortality and postoperative complications, including sepsis, renal failure, and need for mechanical ventilation, were greater among patients receiving older blood.
Adult patients (≥18 years of age) were included if they were admitted to the medical intensive care unit (MICU) and required mechanical ventilation (MV) greater than 48 hours.
The exclusion criteria included birth complications (e.g. low birth weight defined as <2500 g, endotracheal <span class="lh">mechanical ventilation), gestation greater than 42 weeks, a history of psychiatric illness, severe hearing, visual or motor impairment.
Secondary outcomes included SGA, defined as a birthweight below the 10th centile for gestational age [ 10, 11]; preterm birth before 32 or 37 weeks gestation [ 12, 13]; development of one or more diseases of prematurity; need for mechanical ventilation for greater than 1 day [ 11]; perinatal death; or admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) [ 14, 15].
