Fenoldopam use in a burn intensive care unit: a retrospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Fenoldopam mesylate is a highly selective dopamine-1 receptor agonist approved for the treatment of hypertensive emergencies that may have a role at low doses in preserving renal function in those at high risk for or with acute kidney injury (AKI). There is no data on low-dose fenoldopam in the burn population. The purpose of our study was to describe our use of low-dose fenoldopam (0.03-0.09 μg/kg/min) infusion in critically ill burn patients with AKI.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients admitted to our burn intensive care unit (BICU) with severe burns from November 2005 through September 2008 who received low-dose fenoldopam. Data obtained included systolic blood pressure, serum creatinine, vasoactive medication use, urine output, and intravenous fluid. Patients on concomitant continuous renal replacement therapy were excluded. Modified inotrope score and vasopressor dependency index were calculated. One-way analysis of variance with repeated measures, Wilcoxson signed rank, and chi-square tests were used. Differences were deemed significant at p < 0.05.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seventy-seven patients were treated with low-dose fenoldopam out of 758 BICU admissions (10%). Twenty (26%) were AKI network (AKIN) stage 1, 14 (18%) were AKIN stage 2, 42 (55%) were AKIN stage 3, and 1 (1%) was AKIN stage 0. Serum creatinine improved over the first 24 hours and continued to improve through 48 hours (<it>p </it>< 0.05). There was an increase in systolic blood pressure in the first 24 hours that was sustained through 48 hours after initiation of fenoldopam (<it>p </it>< 0.05). Urine output increased after initiation of fenoldopam without an increase in intravenous fluid requirement (<it>p </it>< 0.05; <it>p </it>= NS). Modified inotrope score and vasopressor dependency index both decreased over 48 hours (<it>p </it>< 0.0001; <it>p </it>= 0.0012).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings suggest that renal function was preserved and that urine output improved without a decrease in systolic blood pressure, increase in vasoactive medication use, or an increase in resuscitation requirement in patients treated with low-dose fenoldopam. A randomized controlled trial is required to establish the efficacy of low-dose fenoldopam in critically ill burn patients with AKI.</p

Clinical Signs in Medicine: Pulsus Paradoxus

Pulsus paradoxus, a physical sign of tremendous diagnostic and prognostic significance can be seen in a variety of cardiac and extra-cardiac conditions. This article will discuss the mechanism, pathophysiology, detection and management of patient with pulsus paradoxus

Cardiac Mapping: Utility or Futility?

Cardiac mapping is a broad term that covers several modes of mapping such as body surface,1 endocardial,2 and epicardial3 mapping. The recording and analysis of extracellular electrograms, reported as early as 1915, forms the basis for cardiac mapping.4 More commonly, cardiac mapping is performed with catheters that are introduced percutaneously into the heart chambers and sequentially record the endocardial electrograms with the purpose of correlating local electrogram to cardiac anatomy. These electrophysiological catheters are navigated and localized with the use of fluoroscopy. Nevertheless, the use of fluoroscopy for these purposes may be problematic for a number of reasons, including: 1) the inability to accurately associate intracardiac electrograms with their precise location within the heart; 2) the endocardial surface is invisible using fluoroscopy and the target sites can only be approximated by their relationship with nearby structures such as ribs, blood vessels, and the position of other catheters; 3) due to the limitations of two-dimensional fluoroscopy, navigation is not exact, time consuming, and requires multiple views to estimate the three-dimensional location of the catheter; 4) inability to accurately return the catheter precisely to a previously mapped site; and 5) exposure of the patient and medical team to radiation

Does left ventricular function improve with L-carnitine after acute myocardial infarction?

A double blind randomized placebo controlled clinical trial was carried out to assess the efficacy and safety of L-carnitine in patients suffering from acute anterior wall myocardial infarction with respect to left ventricular function. Sixty patients (34 men, 26 women, mean age 56&#x002B;11 yr.) with acute anterior wall myocardial infarction were randomized to placebo and L-carnitine. All the patients were given intravenous L-carnitine / placebo in the dose of 6gm/day for the first seven days followed by oral L-carnitine / placebo 3 gm/day in three divided doses for a period of three months. Echocardiography was performed for regional wall motion abnormality, left ventricular end systolic volume (ESV), end diastolic volume (EDV) and ejection fraction (EF) on admission, after seven days and after three months of the infarction. Forty-four patients completed the study. There were three deaths, two in the placebo and one in the L-carnitine group (p>0.05). Thirteen patients were lost to follow up. Echo parameters in both groups were comparable (p>0.05). The duration of chest pain prior to initiation of the I.V. L-carnitine was 7.5 &#x002B; 5.2 hrs in the L-carnitine group and 7 &#x002B; 4 hrs in the placebo group (p>0.05). There was no statistical difference in the EF, ESV and EDV on admission, at discharge and after three months in the L-carnitine and the placebo groups (p>0.05). No significant adverse effects were noted. L-carnitine, though a safe drug, does not affect the left ventricular function in patients with myocardial infarction