Category Medical Specialty
CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Preload

Preload = initial myocardial fibre length prior to contraction; determined by anything that effects ventricular volume at the end of diastole

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Syncope

Syncope is transient, self-limited loss of consciousness with an inability to maintain postural tone that is followed by spontaneous recovery. Such an event without loss of consciousness is often termed “presyncope”. Underlying cause is often not found in the emergency department (~50%)

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

pCO2 gap

pCO2 gap is a surrogate for cardiac output; pCO2 gap = PcvCO2 - PaCO2; pCO2 gap >6 mmHg suggests a persistent shock state that may be amenable to fluid resuscitation +/- intrope support; a “ScvO2-cvaCO2gap-guided protocol” has been proposed to guide the management of septic shock

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Lung Volume Reduction Surgery

Lung volume reduction surgery is performed on a high risk population with an associated mortality of 5-10%. The goal of the operation is to eliminate the most diseased areas of lung to reduce overall lung volume and improve respiratory mechanics

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Chylothorax

Chylothorax occurs when chyle from the thoracic duct empties into the pleural space. Chyle is a milky white fluid with a high concentration of triglycerides, chylomicrons, and white blood cells. Pseudochylothorax is pleural fluid that mimics true chylous pleural effusion in appearance but lacks the biochemical criteria for chylothorax; usually due to a longstanding pleural effusion