Assessment of the intravascular volume status of patients is one of the most challenging tasks for the intensive care clinician. It is also one of the most important skills in intensive care management as both hypervolaemia and hypovolaemia lead to increased morbidity and mortality. The assessment of hypovolaemic patients is aided by several clinical signs, laboratory investigations, and a multitude of haemodynamic monitoring systems. This review aims to outline the definitions, pathophysiology, and various assessment techniques (both old and new) employed by intensivists on the critically ill patient.
The gastrointestinal tract comprises diverse functions. Despite recent developments in technology and science, there is no single and universal tool to monitor GI function in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Clinical evaluation is complex and has a low sensitivity to diagnose pathological processes in the abdomen. We performed a MEDLINE and Pubmed search connecting abdominal assessment and critical care. Based on these findings we defined the following major categories of monitoring and diagnostic measures: clinical investigation; assessment of motility and digestive function; microbiome monitoring; perfusion monitoring; laboratory biomarkers and hormonal function; intra-abdominal pressure measurement; and imaging techniques. Only a few of these monitoring and assessment tools have found their way into clinical practice, as most of them have one or more significant objections preventing broad implementation in daily clinical practice. Further research should be directed to reaffirm and define the use of current techniques to ascertain their validity and usefulness to monitor gastrointestinal function in ICU patients.
Provision of safe and effective occupational therapy in neonatal intensive care units requires an understanding of neonatal medical conditions and treatment modalities. This article explains basic medical concepts and technology with terminology frequently encountered in neonatal intensive care. Discussions of neonatal thermoregulation, respiratory care, hemodynamic monitoring, and metabolic support are presented as general areas of focus. Equipment usage and precautions are included. Several case studies illustrate the incorporation of medical knowledge into neonatal occupational therapy practice.
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