Critical Care

Dear Clinician,

In the new issue of Clinical Window Web Journal (CWWJ), we highlight selected CRITICAL CARE topics in monitoring technology and drug administration, and the assessment of effects of given therapy.

The research team of Prof. Pekka Meriläinen, working at the University of Uppsala (Sweden), has studied pulsed vs. concentration-based delivery of nitric oxide (NO). Typically, inhaled NO has been used e.g. to reduce pulmonary hypertension. The article was originally published in Intensive Care Medicine in 2000, and we want to make it available for our readers. Hence, CWWJ has made an agreement with Springer-Verlag regarding this Internet publication. It is worth mentioning that Prof. Meriläinen also works as Datex-Ohmeda's chief scientist.

In the article "Monitoring of oxygenation with oximetry" , Doctors Ranta and Kalli from the University of Helsinki (Finland) review the impact of pulse oximetry on monitoring critically ill or anesthetized patients. Clinical scenarios relevant to monitoring oxygenation with oximetry will also be covered.

Dr Stephan Jakob from the University Hospital Bern (Switzerland) builds on his research orientation and marked clinical experience in his article "Assessment of sedation after cardiac surgery". Adequate sedation is of increasing importance in critical care, particularly with mechanically ventilated patients. Dr. Jakob's review presents an interesting overview on aspects of sedation in cardiac surgical patient with special focus on event related potentials.

In his educational article "The evolution of usable indirect calorimetry", product manager Patrick Sweeney (Critical Care Monitoring, Datex-Ohmeda) shares with us his knowledge of indirect calorimetry. Starting from the product design perspective, he first discusses the desirable attributes when attempting to create an ‘ideal’ monitoring system, reviewing the guidelines previously published by Tobin in medical literature. Moving forward, he then clarifies the measurement principles in indirect calorimetry. Today, this clinical measurement can be added to a bedside patient monitor as easily as any other routine clinical measurement. In fact, it is interesting to learn that today's modular measurement virtually fulfills all of the criteria for the previously referred ‘ideal’ monitor.

Ilkka S. Kalli MD, PhD, MBA
Anesthesiologist, Editor-in-Chief
Datex-Ohmeda’s Clinical Window Web Journal

Last updated: 1 April 2002Created
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