Category CCC

The LITFL Critical Care Compendium is a comprehensive collection of pages concisely covering the core topics and controversies of critical care.

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Sepsis Biomarkers

Reviewed and revised 20 December 2015 OVERVIEW At least 178 different sepsis biomarkers have been described in the published medical literature, reflecting the complex pathophysiology of sepsis e.g. coagulation, complement, contact system activation, inflammation, and apoptosis also biomarkers of complications, e.g.…

CCC Critical Care Compendium 680

Arthritis DDx

Arthritis is inflammation of a joint (redness, warmth, pain, swelling, loss of function) that may be acute or chronic, and affect one or multiple joints.

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Lithium Toxicity

Lithium: acute overdose is usually benign if adequate hydration is maintained and renal function is normal; chronic toxicity can be difficult to manage and result in devastating neurotoxicity

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Methylene Blue

CLASS MECHANISM OF ACTION (1) low concentrations: methylene blue -> NADPH-dependent reduction to leucomethylene blue (due to action of methaemoglobin reductase) -> reduces methaemoglobin -> Hb(2) high concentrations: methylene blue -> converts ferrous iron of reduced Hb to ferric ion…

CCC Critical Care Compendium 680

Hilar adenopathy DDx

Hilar lymphadenopathy, seen on chest x-ray or chest CT, can be classified as unilateral or bilateral, and if bilateral as symmetrical or asymmetrical.

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Validity of Research and Measurements

OVERVIEW In general terms, validity is “the quality of being true or correct”, it refers to the strength of results and how accurately they reflect the real world. Thus ‘validity’ can have quite different meanings depending on the context! Reliability…

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Sodium Valproate

Sodium Valproate: anticonvulsant; decreasing neuronal excitability or enhancing inhibition of neuronal transmission.

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Protamine

Protamine: neutralization of heparin. Strongly basic protamine + strongly acid heparin -> forms stable salt -> removed by reticuloendothelial system.