Month January 2019
CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Brain Death Hot Case

Brain death is the irreversible loss of all functions of the brain, including the brainstem. The three essential findings in brain death are coma (unresponsiveness), absence of brainstem reflexes, and apnoea

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Observations Compatible and Incompatible with Brain Death

To make the diagnosis of brain death the examiner must be able recognise responses that do not require brain function; stimulus-provoked movements should be termed reflexes and spontaneous movements termed automatisms; brain death-associated automatisms may be present in up to 50% of brain death cases

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Acute Aortic Dissection

Acute Aortic Dissection: the most common catastrophe of the aorta (3:100,000); 3 times more common than abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Management of the organ donation patient

OVERVIEW Involves these steps: Early identification Establish rapport with family early Non-coercive discussion with family regarding opportunity to donate Initiate tissue typing, organ function testing and viral screening Maintain extra-cerebral physiological stability Facilitate family time at the bedside Ensure aftercare…

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Venous Return and Shock

This page is under construction OVERVIEW “Obviously, except under momentary conditions the venous return and the cardiac output must be equal.” — Arthur Guyton STARLING’S LAW By raising or lowering an artificial venous reservoir, Starling showed that increased right atrial…

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Cardiorenal syndrome

This page is under construction OVERVIEW Cardiorenal syndromes (CRS) are disorders of the heart and kidneys whereby acute or long-term dysfunction in one organ may induce acute or long-term dysfunction of the other CRS is characterised by the triad of…

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Brain Death

Brain death is the irreversible loss of all functions of the brain, including the brainstem. The three essential findings in brain death are coma (unresponsiveness), absence of brainstem reflexes, and apnoea