Volume 29, Issue 2 – March 2021

Cover Volume 29, issue 2

COVID-19, a remarkable year

The past year will forever be remembered as the year of the outbreak of a novel coronavirus. From the moment the first Dutch patient was admitted to hospital, healthcare providers received a crash course in…

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REMAP-CAP: delivering research in the pandemic

Abstract The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) pandemic is an unprecedented global health crisis. For hospitalised patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality and morbidity is high. A case fatality rate of 49%…

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Effect of high-dose methylprednisolone in mechanically ventilated ICU patients with COVID-19: a retrospective observational study

Abstract Background: COVID-19 is associated with clinical features that closely resemble acute respiratory distress syndrome and causes hypoxic respiratory failure requiring ventilator support. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of…

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Sharing is caring: how COVID-19 led to large scale collaboration for icudata.nl

For many intensivists worldwide, the pandemic will have created long-lasting memories. Some of them grim, such as massively overwhelmed ICUs, the dehumanising appearance of seemingly interchangeable and mostly proned patients, and healthcare professionals hidden behind…

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Fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) to modulate respiratory drive in a mechanically ventilated patient

Dear editor, With great interest we read the review by Jonkman, de Vries and Heunks, extensively explaining the physiology of respiratory drive in ICU patients, published recently in Critical Care.[1] We would like to present…

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When to start spontaneous breathing in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients? Oxygenation index and PaO2 /FiO2 ratio can help

Dear editor, Patients with COVID-19 induced respiratory failure are initially treated with lung-protective controlled mechanical ventilation to prevent ventilator-induced lung injury.[1] Adequate timing of the switch to a support ventilation mode seems critical. Prolonged sedation…

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Neurological complications in COVID-19 patients admitted to a general ICU in the Netherlands

Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) predominantly affects the respiratory system. However, the viral infection has been associated with brain involvement. In the literature multiple routes are described through which this neurotrophic virus enters the central…

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Endotracheal tube obstruction in patients diagnosed with COVID-19

Abstract In this case report, two COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress are presented. In both cases the acute respiratory distress was due to occlusion of the endotracheal tube. Patient A had an occlusion due…

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Cerebral microbleeds in a COVID-19 patient

Abstract A 31-year-old male was admitted to the intensive care unit with respiratory failure due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. A persistent altered mental state, with agitation and subsequently persistent coma, was one of the complications he…

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ECMO as rescue for COVID-19 related ARDS: the pros and cons

Abstract Using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as rescue respiratory support for COVID-19 related ARDS may be seen as a controversial use of scarce and stretched resources in the context of a global pandemic. We present…

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One year of COVID-19 in the Netherlands – a Dutch narrative

‘It is easy to be wise after the event’ (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) A novel zoonotic corona virus hits the Netherlands In December 2019, China reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia in the city…

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