Volume 29, issue 3 – May 2021

Cover Volume 29, Issue 3

Early warning score to detect deterioration in the hospital: role of staffing and alarm fatigue?

Patients who experience severe adverse events such as cardiopulmonary arrest, unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and death during their hospital stay show signs of deterioration up to 24 hours prior to the event.[1] Direct…

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POCUS series: Focused transoesophageal echocardiography, a view from the inside

Abstract In the last decade, ultrasound has found its place in the intensive care unit (ICU). Initially, ultrasound was used primarily to increase the safety and efficacy of line insertion, but now many intensivists use…

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Clinical practices in the escalation of care for the deteriorating patient: a multicentre study

Abstract Background: Rapid response systems (RRSs) have been introduced to assist in the effective management of deteriorating patients. Optimal system performance requires adequate staffing levels and compliance with the escalation protocol. Delay and failures in…

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Unusual complication after cardiac surgery: iatrogenic Ortner’s syndrome

Abstract A case of rapid unilateral vocal cord paralysis a few days after cardiac surgery is presented. On postoperative day 3, the patient developed severe hoarseness within a few hours. After evacuation of 300 ml…

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Facial train-of-four monitoring as an evaluation of neuromuscular blockade in a patient with ICU-acquired weakness

Abstract Neuromuscular blocking agents are used in the ICU for various reasons, such as during status asthmaticus and patientventilator dyssynchrony. We report a 76-year-old man with adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus treated with laparoscopic transthoracic oesophagectomy,…

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Arterial embolism as a first sign of pulmonary embolism: a case report

Abstract This case report presents a female with a paradoxical embolism due to a patent foramen ovale (PFO). The patient initially presented with a fractured left foot. Despite thrombosis prophylaxis, she developed a pulmonary embolism.…

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