A Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial of Levetiracetam vs. Phenytoin for Convulsive Status Epilepticus in Children
Convulsive status epilepticus (CSE) is the most common life-threatening childhood neurological emergency. Despite this, there is a lack of high quality evidence supporting medication use after first line benzodiazepines,... read more
Antimicrobial copper touch surfaces may help fight global threat of antibiotic resistance
Copper is a powerful antimicrobial with rapid, broad-spectrum efficacy against bacteria and viruses, and has been shown to kill disease-causing pathogens, including influenza A, E.coli and norovirus, and resistant bacteria... read more
Bacteria ‘alarm clock’ may cause repeat infections in patients
Scientists have discovered a bacteria 'alarm clock' that wakes dormant Salmonella in the body, allowing the bug to trigger a repeat infection. The researchers, from Imperial College London, say the 'alarm clock' is shared... read more
Anesthesia Telemedicine: Assessing Hard-to-Reach Patients for Surgery
Medically fragile infants on ventilation support at community or rural hospitals without surgical services sometimes need those services. That poses a challenge for pediatric anesthesiologists who need to assess these babies... read more
Seeing the Present Through the Past
As an MD-PhD candidate, now in the second year of a history of medicine PhD, I often reflect on the role of history in the medical school classroom and at the bedside. Medical history is a useful way to understand the roots... read more
Rapid Bedside Evaluation of Seizures in the ICU by Listening to the Sound of Brainwaves
The Ceribell EEG System enabled rapid acquisition of electroencephalography (EEG) in patients at risk for non-convulsive seizures and aided clinicians in their evaluation of encephalopathic ICU patients. The ease of use and... read more
Nutrition in Surgery Podcast
Changing Care to Improve Surgical Outcomes. In this mini-series of six podcasts sponsored by Abbott Nutrition, the DCRI's Paul Wischmeyer, MD, EDIC, welcomes distinguished scientists and clinicians from the U.S. and the U.K.... read more
Optimum Chest Compression Point for CPR in Children Revisited Using a 3D Coordinate System Imposed on CT
The optimum chest compression site (P_optimum) in children is debated: European Resuscitation Council recommends one finger breadth above the xiphisternal joint, whereas American Heart Association proposes the lower sternal... read more
The combination of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein or presepsin alone improves the accuracy of diagnosis of neonatal sepsis
The combination of PCT and CRP or presepsin alone improves the accuracy of diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. However, further studies are required to confirm these findings. A total of 28 studies enrolling 2661 patients were... read more
Feasibility and Perceptions of PICU Diaries
The use of ICU diaries in the PICU setting is feasible and perceived as beneficial by families of critically ill children. Future studies are needed to better understand if PICU diaries may objectively improve psychologic... read more
Do State Regulations on Nurse Staffing Make a Difference in ICU Outcomes?
In the recent issue of Critical Care Medicine, Law and colleagues published an evaluation of the impact of changes in Massachusetts state regulations mandating that nurse staffing levels on critical care units be set at 1:1... read more
Pocket Medicine: The Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Internal Medicine
Under the direction of Marc S. Sabatine, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Pocket Medicine provides the key information a clinician needs for the initial approach and management of the most common inpatient... read more
Dear NRA, I’m a doctor. My lane? I sit in this chair when I tell parents their kids are dead
Seems like a little thing, but I did this in response to a tweet by the National Rifle Association, asserting that doctors should "stay in our lane" instead of studying or making recommendations when it comes to gun violence.... read more
Burnout in Intensive Care: How Can We Improve?
The risk of burnout in intensive care is high, there is a great need to look after ourselves and each other to enable us to effectively care for our patients and to be part of not only an effective team but also an enjoyable... read more
Medical Device Rules Need Drastic Change To Protect Patients
Urgent and drastic changes to the rules around medical devices, such as pacemakers, are needed to protect patients, according to the Royal College of Surgeons. It wants a register of every device in every patient set up so... read more
Sedation and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in PICU
As little as 30 minutes of exposure to anesthetic and sedative agents may adversely affect the developing brain. Safe, humane management of critically ill infants requires the use of sedative agents, often for prolonged periods.... read more
Delirium in Critical Illness: Haloperidol vs Ziprasidone?
Delirium is defined as an acute disorder of consciousness which can occur in up to 80% of mechanically ventilated ICU patients. This acute cognitive dysfunction is associated with prolonged hospital stay, increased mortality,... read more
Discontinuing 5-ASA Safe Upon Anti-TNF Induction for Ulcerative Colitis
Patients with ulcerative colitis who discontinue 5-aminosalicylate therapy once they begin anti-TNF therapy do not appear at great risk for adverse clinical events, according to research published in Gut. Researchers analyzed... read more
Mortality of civilian patients with suspected traumatic hemorrhage receiving pre-hospital transfusion of packed red blood cells compared to pre-hospital crystalloid
In a single centre UK HEMS study, in patients with suspected traumatic hemorrhage who received a PRBC transfusion there was an observed, but non-significant, reduction in mortality at 6 h and 28 days, also reflected in... read more
Ketamine Continuous Infusion: A Reasonable Alternative to Traditional Sedatives and Analgesics?
Propofol, dexmedetomidine, and opioids are commonly used for patients requiring continuous sedation or analgesia, such as for those receiving mechanical ventilation. Although these medications are generally safe, some may... read more
Mortality and Morbidity in Acutely Ill Adults Treated with Liberal vs. Conservative Oxygen Therapy
In acutely ill adults, high-quality evidence shows that liberal oxygen therapy increases mortality without improving other patient-important outcomes. Supplemental oxygen might become unfavourable above an SpO2 range of 94-96%.... read more
