A hospital-wide intervention replacing ceftriaxone with cefotaxime to reduce rate of HAI in the ICU

A hospital-wide intervention replacing ceftriaxone with cefotaxime to reduce rate of HAI in the ICU

Over the last decades, the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) involved in poor outcomes has dramatically increased worldwide.... read more

Procalcitonin-Guided Antimicrobial Therapy in Critical Care

Procalcitonin-Guided Antimicrobial Therapy in Critical Care

Procalcitonin guidance for antibiotic cessation improves short-term mortality in ICU patients. Previous meta-analyses showed that procalcitonin-guided antimicrobial management, compared with standard care, resulted in less... read more

The association between intravenous fluid resuscitation and mortality in older emergency department patients with suspected infection

The association between intravenous fluid resuscitation and mortality in older emergency department patients with suspected infection

Recent studies suggest that hypotension thresholds in current guidelines might be too low for older patients due to arterial stiffening, possibly leading to insufficient fluid resuscitation. We compared intravenous (IV) fluid... read more

Integrating host response and unbiased microbe detection for lower respiratory tract infection diagnosis in critically ill adults

Integrating host response and unbiased microbe detection for lower respiratory tract infection diagnosis in critically ill adults

Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are the leading cause of infectious disease-related deaths worldwide yet remain challenging to diagnose because of limitations in existing microbiologic tests. In critically ill... read more

Sepsis: Personalization vs. Protocolization?

Sepsis: Personalization vs. Protocolization?

The history of intensive care has been littered with too many false dawns. Old management dogma, now derided, have been replaced by new and equally resolute convictions, many of which will, in time, undoubtedly follow a similar... read more

Variation in Identifying Sepsis and Organ Dysfunction Using Administrative Versus Electronic Clinical Data and Impact on Hospital Outcome Comparisons

Variation in Identifying Sepsis and Organ Dysfunction Using Administrative Versus Electronic Clinical Data and Impact on Hospital Outcome Comparisons

Variation in the accuracy of claims data for identifying sepsis and organ dysfunction limits their use for comparing hospitals' sepsis rates and outcomes. Using objective clinical data may facilitate more meaningful hospital... read more

Essentials of Neuroanesthesia and Neurointensive Care

Essentials of Neuroanesthesia and Neurointensive Care

This updated second edition of Gupta and Gelb's Essentials of Neuroanesthesia and Neurointensive Care contains the ideal combination of updated information for the practitioner, presented in easy-to-digest short chapters.... read more

Pharmacotherapy in Neurointensive Care

Pharmacotherapy in Neurointensive Care

Neurointensive care medicine has experienced great advancements and developments of neuromonitoring techniques, allowing a better comprehension of acute brain injury early phase pathological mechanisms and an overall improvement... read more

Sustained reduction of catheter-associated bloodstream infections with enhancement of catheter bundle by chlorhexidine dressings over 11 years

Sustained reduction of catheter-associated bloodstream infections with enhancement of catheter bundle by chlorhexidine dressings over 11 years

The addition of chlorhexidine dressings to all CVC and arterial lines to an ongoing catheter bundle was associated with a sustained 11-year reduction of all catheter-associated bloodstream infections. This large real-world... read more

Gut Dysmotility in the ICU

Gut Dysmotility in the ICU

Off-label metoclopramide and/or erythromycin administration are effective for upper gastrointestinal dysmotility but have adverse effects. Trials of alternative or novel promotility drugs have not demonstrated superiority... read more

How and Whom to Monitor for Seizures in an ICU

How and Whom to Monitor for Seizures in an ICU

Prevalence of seizures detected by continuous electroencephalography was significantly higher than with routine electroencephalography. Prevalence was particularly high in post convulsive status epilepticus, CNS infection,... read more

I am a male nurse – so what?

I am a male nurse – so what?

For Brett Adamson, becoming a nurse was a gateway into helping the world’s most disadvantaged people. In 2005 Brett began working for the medical humanitarian aid organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières. That year was... read more

The Glutamine Debate in Surgery and Critical Care

The Glutamine Debate in Surgery and Critical Care

Three recent meta-analyses have confirmed traditional glutamine (GLN)-supplemented (or "GLN-Complemented" – providing GLN for completeness of amino acid content) TPN is safe, reduces mortality and improves outcome in surgical... read more

Prevalence and outcome of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia diagnosed under veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Prevalence and outcome of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia diagnosed under veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Prevalence of HIT among patients under VA‑ECMO is extremely low at 0.36% with an associated mortality rate of 33.3%, which appears to be in the same range as that observed in patients treated with VA‑ECMO without HIT.... read more