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. 2005 Jun;2(6):e167.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0020167. Epub 2005 Jun 28.

Treating critical illness: the importance of first doing no harm

Mervyn Singer  1 , Paul Glynne
Affiliations

Treating critical illness: the importance of first doing no harm

Mervyn Singer et al. PLoS Med. 2005 Jun.

Abstract

Singer and Glynne present evidence to suggest that the short- term benefits of many interventions for treating critical illness may camouflage an underlying tendency to cause harm.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: MS is on the editorial board of PLoS Medicine. PG declares that he has no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Hypothesis Explaining the Pathophysiology of Multiple Organ Failure Following Infection and Other Inflammatory Insults
Antibiotics, sedatives, and inotropes may cause harm through inhibition of mitochondrial function. Antibiotics may also delay recovery by impeding mitochondrial regeneration.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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