High Altitude illness
High altitude illness includes: acute mountain sickness; high altitude cerebral edema (HACE); high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE); high altitude retinal haemorrhages
Category CCC
The LITFL Critical Care Compendium is a comprehensive collection of pages concisely covering the core topics and controversies of critical care.
Oxygen Extraction Ratio
Oxygen extraction ratio (O2ER) is the ratio of oxygen consumption (VO2) to oxygen delivery (DO2)
Interpretative biases
Facts do not accumulate on the blank slates of researchers' minds and data simply do not speak for themselves
Dogma and Pseudoaxioms
Dogma is a belief generally held to be true by a group, organisation or professional body that is put forth as authoritative without adequate grounds. Axioms are universally accepted principles or rules. Pseudoaxioms, like pseudoscience, are "false principles or rules often handed down from generation to generation of medical providers and accepted without serious challenge or investigation"
Small bowel obstruction DDx
Key radiological features of small bowel obstruction are dilated bowel loops that are central, contain valvulae conniventes, and are pliable (“bent finger”).
Sepsis Definitions and Diagnosis
The original definitions of sepsis and related conditions (SIRS, severe sepsis and septic shock) are now more than 20 years old (Sepsis- 1 originated from the ACCP/SCCM consensus meeting in 1991 and Sepsis 2 from 2001)
Progressive Pneumonia
Nonresolving or Progressive Pneumonia: failure to normalize the clinical features (eg, fever, cough, sputum production), or nonresolving image in chest radiograph
REBOA in resuscitation
REBOA is Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta
Post-Traumatic Seizures
Post-Traumatic Seizures (PTS) occur in ~ 15% of patients with blunt severe TBI; higher risk in children; most occur within 48 hours
Ketamine RSI for head injury
Traditionally ketamine was contra-indicated for use in rapid sequence intubation of the head injured patient. This view has since been debunked. Recent evidence suggests that ketamine may actually be useful in this setting
Base of Skull Fracture
Base of Skull Fracture: fracture involving the floor of the cranial vault
Pacing Modes
Pacing Modes – Advantages and Disadvantages