ECMO - General Principles Patients whose respiration is so severely impaired that optimal ventilator support cannot maintain adequate oxygenation or carbon dioxide removal can be treated with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO). On the other hand, venoarterial ECMO (VA-ECMO) helps patients whose circulation is incompatible with continued life despite maximal…

Dialysis Treatment Dialysis treatment is provided for acute or chronic kidney failure with uremia. Acute kidney failure is a common consequence of various life-threatening conditions such as sepsis, acute liver failure, major trauma, acute pancreatitis, etc., and dialysis treatment is often administered in an intensive care unit. Acute kidney failure…

Status epilepticus - Treatment This document reflects current procedures for the treatment of status epilepticus and includes recommendations regarding intensive care. Background and definition Status epilepticus (SE) is a condition involving abnormally prolonged or frequently recurring seizures, which in some cases pose a risk of long-term effects.1 The overall mortality…

Circulatory Failure and Blood Pressure Raising Treatment Inotropic treatment refers to intravenous vasopressor treatment with potent short-acting vasoactive drugs. The commonly used drugs are synthetic fast-acting catecholamines. These medications are administered intravenously, either intermittently or continuously, via a central venous catheter (CVC) or a peripheral venous cannula (PVC). The treatment…

Sedation of Intensive Care Patients Sedation for intensive care patients is provided according to the patient’s need for anxiety relief and pain management and is tailored to ongoing medical treatments and interventions. Sedation is usually given as an intravenous continuous infusion of two separate drugs in parallel. Sedation is routinely…