By: James Pitt  Oct. 22, 2018
In goal-directed fluid therapy (GDT or GDFT), physicians use hemodynamic variables such as stroke volume (the amount of fluid the heart moves with each beat) to estimate the amount of fluid in circulation. Physicians provide fluid as needed to keep these hemodynamics variables near target values.
Read moreBy: James Pitt  Aug. 28, 2018
Congestive heart failure (CHF) occurs when fluid builds up around the heart and interferes with its normal activity. An extremely common diagnosis, CHF affects about 5.7 million people, and is generally treated with diuretics.
Read moreBy: James Pitt  Aug. 14, 2018
Sepsis is strongly associated with intensive care. 54.7% of sepsis patients required ICU stays in 2014, with a median 5 day length of stay in ICU and 10 day length of stay overall, according to Rhee et. al (2017) in JAMA. Dexur has previously reported that fluid imbalance is associated with higher odds of ICU stay in patients with infections, including sepsis with major complications, at hospitals in Arkansas.
Read moreBy: James Pitt  Jul. 27, 2018
Heart failure causes patients to retain fluids: the heart can no longer pump with enough strength to move large volumes efficiently. This is why patients with heart failure should avoid too much fluid or salt intake.
Read moreBy: James Pitt  Jul. 25, 2018
Mortality rates are the most important outcome in sepsis patients. However, outcomes short of mortality matter both for patient well-being and for hospital costs.
Read moreBy: James Pitt  Jul. 23, 2018
Fluid balance is a measure of whether a patient has excess, or insufficient, fluid relative to electrolytes. Fluid balance affects mortality in sepsis; early fluid administration saves lives, but later positive fluid balance is associated with higher mortality. According to the nonprofit Sepsis Alliance, sepsis is the leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals. However, it is challenging to assess how solutions to fluid imbalance will improve patient outcomes.
Read moreBy: James Pitt  Jul. 12, 2018
Fluid overload is a common complication in severely ill patients. In a 2015 retrospective study of 63,000 patients, fluid imbalance increased average length of stay from 8 to 11.5 days. This included increasing average ICU length of stay from 3.6 to 6.2 days.
Read moreBy: James Pitt  Jun. 25, 2018
Fluid balance is a measure of whether a patient has excess, or insufficient, fluid relative to electrolytes. Dexur has previously examined the effects of fluid imbalance in sepsis, a well-studied topic.
Read moreBy: James Pitt  Jun. 15, 2018
Following Dexur's examination of length of stay (LOS) in sepsis patients in Mississippi, analysts examined how fluid imbalance relates to case mix. CMS divides sepsis patients into three diagnosis-related groups:
By: James Pitt  Jun. 12, 2018
Following Dexur’s analysis of length of stay (LOS) in sepsis patients in Mississippi, analysts examined the effects of fluid imbalance on LOS.
Read more