Active clinical trials for "Critical Illness"

The purpose of this project is to assess the efficacy of an early neurocognitive intervention for ICU patients, in terms of psychopathological, neuropsychological and functional improvement. The treatment is supported in an interactive advanced computing platform that includes the continuous biomedical registration of the patients and a virtual reality software specifically designed for critical patients. The investigators expect an improvement in neuropsychological, psychopathological and functional status at hospital discharge and 3 months follow-up in those patients that have received the early neurocognitive intervention comparing with patients treated as usual. Furthermore the investigators expect a decrease of episodes and/or duration of delirium in ICU patients.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of high doses of Vitamin C in critically ill patients.

Critically-ill patients who have long stays in the hospital often face prolonged periods of bed rest. It is known that these patient develop profound weakness and debilitation. The effectiveness of existing muscle activation devices that could otherwise prevent the onset of debilitation in an immobilized patient has not been demonstrated widely in this cohort. It is hypothesized that using thermal methods to augment existing muscle activation techniques may demonstrate improved performance with no corresponding change in the safety profile.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether providing high dose glutamine and antioxidants to critically ill patients will be associated with improved survival.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of tight control of serum glucose levels with an intensive insulin treatment in patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit with medical and surgical patients.

This study will evaluate whether a program of systematic oral care can help prevent hospital-acquired respiratory infections in patients in intensive care units. Such infections occur five times more often in critically ill patients compared with patients in general hospital wards and result in longer hospital stays and an increased risk of death. The rate of respiratory infection among critically ill patients correlates strongly with the presence of disease-causing bacteria in the mucosal areas of the mouth, gums, and teeth, indicating that assiduous oral care is especially important in this patient population. This study will compare a program of meticulous oral care using oral assessments taught by a dentist and dental hygienist with the standard care typically given in intensive care units. Critically ill patients 18 years of age and older who are hospitalized in an intensive care unit for 3 or more days and whose oral hygiene is dependent on hospital care providers may be eligible for this study. Patients will be recruited from intensive care units at four Washington, D.C., area hospitals - Suburban Hospital, Washington Hospital Center, Inova Fairfax Hospital, and Winchester Medical Center. Participants will have their lips, mouth, gums, teeth, and saliva examined several times a day to determine their optimum oral care. They will receive standard care, such as flossing, brushing, rinsing with a mouthwash, and possibly use of an antiseptic spray that prevents bacteria from clinging to the teeth. Small samples of saliva (less than one-fourth of a teaspoon) and dental plaque will be collected the day the patient is admitted to the intensive care unit and again on days 3 and 5 of their stay in the unit. The saliva sample is collected with a small suction tube placed in the corner of the mouth; the plaque specimen is collected by gliding a tiny piece of paper over the surface of a front tooth. The samples will be examined for any bacteria not normally found in saliva.

To investigate whether the administration of Glucerna achieves less glycaemic variability, defined as the mean absolute glucose (MAG) change, and better glycaemic control compared to a standard high-carbohydrate enteral formula. Continuous glucose monitoring technology will be used to evaluate glycaemic variability and glycaemic control.

Cognitive skills are essential to live independently, manage finances, maintain employment, and function in society. Loss of these cognitive skills puts a tremendous burden on society as seen with dementias, Alzheimer's disease, and traumatic brain injury. The INSIGHT-ICU Study (Illuminating Neuropsychological dysfunction and Systemic Inflammatory mechanisms Gleaned after Hospitalization in Trauma-ICU Study) is the first comprehensive and longitudinal long-term cognitive impairment study after traumatic injury. The societal impact of long-term cognitive impairment after trauma is immense given that these patients are young and constitute a large proportion of employable adults.

The objective of this study is to administer music therapy to patients in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in order to observe how music affects patient agitation, vital signs, and overall recovery in the unit.

This study analyse the impact of high protein intake associated to early programed exercise on functional outcomes of adult intensive care patients.