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Clinical implications of cytokines in the critical-care unit

Ayman A El-Menyar1, Bruce L Davidson

  • 1Weill Cornell Medical College and Hamad General Hospital, Department of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery, HMC, Doha, State of Qatar. elmenyar@yahoo.com

Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy
|July 11, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Cytokines significantly impact acute cardiovascular disorders in critically ill patients, influencing myocardial dysfunction, shock, and thromboembolism. Further research is needed to clarify their role in diagnosis and treatment within intensive care units.

Area of Science:

  • Critical care medicine
  • Cardiovascular pathophysiology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Cytokines play a complex role in critical illness.
  • Acute cardiovascular disorders are common in intensive care units.
  • Understanding cytokine involvement is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of cytokines in acute cardiovascular disorders in critically ill patients.
  • To explore the association between cytokine fluctuations and cardiovascular events.
  • To identify areas for future clinical research.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature review of Medline, Scopus, and EBSCOhost databases.
  • Search conducted for articles published from 1985 to January 2009.
  • Keywords included 'cytokines', 'cardiovascular', 'sepsis', 'critical care', 'myocardial dysfunction', 'shock', 'thromboembolism', 'inflammatory', and 'arrhythmias'.

Main Results:

  • Cytokine fluctuations are associated with myocardial dysfunction, shock, and thromboembolic disorders.
  • The precise timing and clinical significance of cytokine measurements require further investigation.
  • Cytokines may influence patient deterioration or improvement in critical care settings.

Conclusions:

  • Cytokine measurement and understanding their interplay hold potential clinical importance for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.
  • The role of cytokines in cardiovascular disorders within the critical care setting is an emerging area of research.
  • Further clinical studies are essential to elucidate the clinical implications of cytokines in intensive care.

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