"Austere Critical Care"

Coagulopathy can occur in trauma, and it can affect septic patients as a host tries to respond to infection. Sometimes, it can lead to disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) with a high potential for mortality. New research has delineated risk factors that include neutrophil extracellular traps and endothelial glycocalyx shedding. Managing DIC in septic patients focuses on first treating the underlying cause of sepsis. Further, the International Society on Thrombolysis and Haemostasis (ISTH) has DIC diagnostic criteria...

The development of modern intensive care units (ICUs) has allowed the survival of patients with advanced illness and injury, although at a cost of substantial infrastructure. Natural disasters and military operations are two common situations that can create critically ill patients in an environment that is austere or has been rendered austere. This has driven the development of two related strategies to care for these casualties. Portable ICU capability can be rapidly established in the area of need, providing relatively advanced capability but limited capacity and sustainability...