Browsing by Subject "Resuscitation"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Adrenaline and amiodarone dosages in resuscitation: Rectifying misinformation
    (2013) Botha, Martin; Wells, Mike; Dickerson, Roger; Wallis, Lee; Stander, Melanie
    Despite the recognition of specialists in emergency medicine and the professionalisation of prehospital emergency care, international guidelines and consensus are often ignored, and the lag between guideline publication and translation into clinical practice is protracted. South African literature should reflect the latest evidence to guide resuscitation and safe patient care. This article addresses erroneous details regarding life-saving interventions in the South African Medicines Formulary , 10th edition.
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    Inoculation of peritoneal dialysate fluid into blood culture bottles improves culture rates
    (1993) Rayner, B L; Williams, DS; Oliver, S
    The aim of he study was to determine if direct inoculation of peritoneal fluid into Bactec blood culture bottles would improve the positive bacteriological yield compared with conventional techniques in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients with peritonitis. All patients presenting with suspected peritonitis had peritoneal fluid injected directly into aerobic and anaerobic Bactec blood culture bottles as well as into sterile culture tubes. Thirty-seven paired samples were analyzed.The aim of he study was to determine if direct inoculation of peritoneal fluid into Bactec blood culture bottles would improve the positive bacteriological yield compared with conventional techniques in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients with peritonitis. All patients presenting with suspected peritonitis had peritoneal fluid injected directly into aerobic and anaerobic Bactec blood culture bottles as well as into sterile culture tubes. Thirty-seven paired samples were analyzed.
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    Mortality after fluid bolus in children with shock due to sepsis or severe infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis
    (Public Library of Science, 2012) Ford, Nathan; Hargreaves, Sally; Shanks, Leslie
    Introduction Sepsis is one of the leading causes of childhood mortality, yet controversy surrounds the current treatment approach. We conducted a systematic review to assess the evidence base for fluid resuscitation in the treatment of children with shock due to sepsis or severe infection. METHODS: We searched 3 databases for randomized trials, quasi-randomized trials, and controlled before-after studies assessing children with septic shock in which at least one group was treated with bolus fluids. The primary outcome was mortality at 48 hours. Assessment of methodological quality followed the GRADE criteria. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and data pooled using fixed-effects method. RESULTS: 13 studies met our inclusion criteria. No bolus has significantly better mortality outcomes at 48 hours for children with general septic shock (RR 0.69; 95%CI 0.54-0.89), and children with malaria (RR 0.64; 95%CI 0.45-0.91) when compared to giving any bolus. This result is largely driven by a single, high quality trial (the FEAST trial). There is no evidence investigating bolus vs no bolus in children with Dengue fever or severe malnutrition. Colloid and crystalloid boluses were found to have similar effects on mortality across all sub-groups (general septic shock, malaria, Dengue fever, and severe malnutrition). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of all randomized evidence to date comes from the FEAST trial, which found that fluid boluses were harmful compared to no bolus. Simple algorithms are needed to support health-care providers in the triage of patients to determine who could potentially be harmed by the provision of bolus fluids, and who will benefit.
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    Pathways to care for critically ill or injured children: A cohort study from first presentation to healthcare services through to admission to intensive care or death
    (Public Library of Science, 2016) Hodkinson, Peter; Argent, Andrew; Wallis, Lee; Reid, Steve; Perera, Rafael; Harrison, Sian; Thompson, Matthew; English, Mike; Maconochie, Ian; Ward, Alison
    Purpose Critically ill or injured children require prompt identification, rapid referral and quality emergency management. We undertook a study to evaluate the care pathway of critically ill or injured children to identify preventable failures in the care provided. METHODS: A year-long cohort study of critically ill and injured children was performed in Cape Town, South Africa, from first presentation to healthcare services until paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission or emergency department death, using expert panel review of medical records and caregiver interview. Main outcomes were expert assessment of overall quality of care; avoidability of severity of illness and PICU admission or death and the identification of modifiable factors. RESULTS: The study enrolled 282 children, 252 emergency PICU admissions, and 30 deaths. Global quality of care was graded good in 10% of cases, with half having at least one major impact modifiable factor. Key modifiable factors related to access to care and identification of the critically ill, assessment of severity, inadequate resuscitation, and delays in decision making and referral. Children were transferred with median time from first presentation to PICU admission of 12.3 hours. There was potentially avoidable severity of illness in 185 (74%) of children, and death prior to PICU admission was avoidable in 17/30 (56.7%) of children. CONCLUSIONS: The study presents a novel methodology, examining quality of care across an entire system, and highlighting the complexity of the pathway and the modifiable events amenable to interventions, that could reduce mortality and morbidity, and optimize utilization of scarce critical care resources; as well as demonstrating the importance of continuity and quality of care.