In spite of substantial extracorporeal clearance, total colistin clearance was reduced, compared with patients with normal renal function. Colistin adsorption by the haemofilter contributed to its extracorporeal clearance to a large extent. Studies on other patients receiving colistin methane sulphonate and undergoing CRRT are required before more appropriate dosage regimens can be recommended.

A case of domestic violence is reported. The patient presented with the triad of injuries associated with the shaking of infants: retinal haemorrhages, subdural haematoma, and patterned bruising; this has been described as the shaken adult syndrome. This case report reflects the diYculties in diagnosing domestic violence in the accident and emergency setting.

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Malaria remains today one of the major health problems in the tropics with increased morbidity and mortality. The most serious complications are caused by Plasmodium falciparum, which, in contrast to the benign malarias, may progress to a life-threatening multi-system disease. Our case concerns a young woman in the 14th week of pregnancy, admitted to the ICU in a coma, with pulmonary oedema, haemolytic anaemia, renal failure and thrombocytopenia as complications of P. falciparum malaria. The case is discussed and possible explanations for the clinical picture and complications of P. falciparum malaria are given in the light of experiences from the literature.

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) results from the compression of the subclavian vessels and the brachial plexus. Chronic compression of the vessels leads to pulmonary embolism (PE). We present our experience of two patients with PE due to TOS. Two patients (1 male, 1 female), both weightlifters, were admitted to our intensive care unit with severe hypoxaemia, dyspnoea and respiratory alkalosis. Both patients had a medical history of multiple attacks of chest pain and pain in the right arm. The clinical picture, a ventilation/perfusion scan and digital subtraction angiography confirmed the diagnosis of PE. We present this rare complication of the syndrome and give guidelines for optimal management and treatment.

Chronic renal failure may be associated with a wide spectrum of respiratory disorders, varying from relatively minor derangements in pulmonary function testing, to frank pulmonary edema. Although complications like uremic lung are becoming increasingly rare in these patients with timely initiation of dialysis, dialysis itself can also exert a transient deleterious influence on gas exchange. Moreover, patients with chronic renal failure often exhibit disorders of the chemical control of breathing that probably contribute to sleep-disordered breathing. Sleep -disordered breathing is a common problem in patients with chronic renal failure, with a reported prevalence possibly exceeding 70% for end-stage renal disease. Sleep disorders, have a serious impact in the quality of life in chronic renal failure, and are probably associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The role of polysomnography and of active intervention in sleep disorders in these patients needs to be further elucidated.

Purpose:To describe the epidemiology of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in a Brazilian ICU.Methods: This prospective observational, non-interventional study, included all consecutive patients with ARDS criteria [1] admitted in the ICU of a Brazilian tertiary hospital, between January 1997 and September 2001. Were collected in a prospective fashion the following variables: age, gender, APACHE II score at ICU admission and at ARDS diagnosis, cause of ARDS, presence of AIDS, cancer and immunosuppression, occurrence of barotrauma, performance of traqueostomy, mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation (MV), length of stay (LOS) in ICU and in hospital. The lung injury score (LIS) [2] was used to quantify the degree of pulmonary injury in the first week of ARDS. Results:There was 2182 patients (P) admitted in ICU during the study period, of whom 141 (6.46%) had ARDS criteria. Seventy-six (54%) were men, the mean age was 46 ± 18 years, APACHE II 18 ± 7 and 19 ± 7 at admission and at ARDS diagnosis, respectively. Septic shock accounted for 42% (60 P) of the ARDS causes, sepsis 22% (31 P), diffuse pulmonary infection 16% (23 P), aspiration pneumonia 11% (15 P), non-septic shock 5% (7 P) and others 4% (5 P). Ten percent (14 P) had AIDS, 30% (43 P) cancer and 25% (36 P) immunosuppression. All patients were mechanically ventilated with Tidal Volume between 4 and 8 ml/kg. Only 3.5% (5 P) had barotrauma and 10% (14 P) performed traqueostomy. Mortality rate was 79% in the ICU. The patients required 12 ± 10 days on MV, ranging from 1 to 55 days. The LOS in ICU and hospital was 14 ± 13 (1-69) days and 28 ± 32 (1-325) days, respectively. There was a time delay of 3.7 ± 4.5 days between admission in ICU and the onset of ARDS. The Murray score (mean ± SD) was 3.2 ± 0.4, 3 ± 0.5, 3 ± 0.5, 2.9 ± 0.6, 2.8 ± 0.7, 2.7 ± 0.7 and 2.6 ± 0.8 in the first 7 days, respectively.Conclusions: ARDS in our hospital has a similar incidence of reports in the USA and Europe. There was a higher mortality, which could be explained by a high incidence of infection causes of ARDS, mainly septic shock, and elevated combined occurrence of AIDS, cancer and immunosuppression, along the degree of LIS. The incidence of barotrauma was low, as a consequence of the current mechanical ventilation strategies. References:1. Bernard GR, Artigas A, Brigham KL, et al.: Am Respir Crit Care Med 1994 P2Role of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in ARDS mortality FS Dias, N Almeida, IC Wawrzeniack, PB Nery Hospital São Lucas da PUCRS, Av. Ipiranga 6690, RS, Brazil Purpose: To correlate the occurrence and level of organ dysfunction in ARDS with mortality. Methods:This cohort study includes all consecutive patients with ARDS criteria [1] admitted in the ICU between January 1997 and September 2001. Were collected in a prospective fashion the following variables: age, gender, APACHE II score at the ARDS diagnosis, the occurrence of organ dysfunction determined by the multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) [2] in the first week, and mortality in ...

Studies on head injury-induced pituitary dysfunction are limited in number and conflicting results have been reported. To further clarify this issue, 29 consecutive patients (24 males), with severe (n = 21) or moderate (n = 8) head trauma, having a mean age of 37 ± 17 years were investigated in the immediate post-trauma period. All patients required mechanical ventilatory support for 8-55 days and were enrolled in the study within a few days before ICU discharge. Basal hormonal assessment included measurement of cortisol, corticotropin, free thyroxine (fT4), thyrotropin (TSH), testosterone (T) in men, estradiol (E2) in women, prolactin (PRL), and growth hormone (GH). Cortisol and GH levels were measured also after stimulation with 100 µg human corticotropin releasing hormone (hCRH) and 100 µg growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), respectively. Cortisol hyporesponsiveness was considered when peak cortisol concentration was less than 20 µg/dl following hCRH. TSH deficiency was diagnosed when a subnormal serum fT4 level was associated with a normal or low TSH. Hypogonadism was considered when T (males) or E2 (women) were below the local reference ranges, in the presence of normal PRL levels. Severe or partial GH deficiencies were defined as a peak GH below 3 µg/l or between 3 and 5 µg/l, respectively, after stimulation with GHRH. Twenty-one subnormal responses were found in 15 of the 29 patients (52%) tested; seven (24%) had hypogonadism, seven (24%) had cortisol hyporesponsiveness, five (17%) had hypothyroidism, and two patients (7%) had partial GH deficiency. These preliminary results suggest that a certain degree of hypopituitarism occurs in more than 50% of patients with moderate or severe head injury in the immediate post-trauma period, with cortisol hyporesponsiveness and hypogonadism being most common. Further studies are required to elucidate the pathogenesis of these abnormalities and to investigate whether they affect long-term morbidity. P2 Cortisol reserve in head trauma victims: evaluation with the low-dose (1 µ µg) corticotropin (ACTH) stimulation test