Partial Oral versus Intravenous Antibiotic Treatment of Endocarditis
In patients with endocarditis on the left side of the heart who were in stable condition, changing to oral antibiotic treatment was noninferior to continued intravenous antibiotic treatment. After randomization, antibiotic... read more
Comparison of Complication Rates of Central Venous Catheters Versus Peripherally Inserted Central Venous Catheters in Pediatric Patients
Rates of central line–associated bloodstream infection and venous thromboembolism were higher in hospitalized pediatric patients with peripherally inserted central catheters as compared to central venous catheters. Our... read more
Predicting AKI using urinary liver-type fatty-acid binding protein and serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels in patients treated at medical cardiac ICUs
Urinary L-FABP and serum NT-proBNP levels on admission are independent predictors of acute kidney injury (AKI), and when used in combination, improve early prediction of AKI in patients hospitalized at medical cardiac intensive... read more
Value of variation index of inferior vena cava diameter in predicting fluid responsiveness in patients with circulatory shock receiving mechanical ventilation
The findings of this study suggest that the ΔIVCD performed moderately well in predicting fluid responsiveness in patients with circulatory shock receiving mechanical ventilation. Overall, 603 patients were included in this... read more
Probiotic and Synbiotic Therapy in the Critically Ill
Recent medical history has largely viewed our bacterial symbionts as pathogens to be eradicated rather than essential partners in optimal health. However, one of the most exciting scientific advances in recent years has been... read more
Early Versus Late Initiation of Renal Replacement Therapy in Critically Ill Patients
Early initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT) effect on survival and renal recovery of critically ill patients is still uncertain. We aimed to systematically review current evidence comparing outcomes of early versus... read more
ICU Survivorship
Dr Kimberley Haines, Vice Chair of ANZICS Victorian Branch and ICU Physio at Western Health joins Dan and Jane to discuss survival following ICU admissions.Dr Kimberley discusses her journey to research, what happens to patients... read more
Direct Discharge From ICU OK for Some Patients
Discharging patients home directly from the intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with outcomes similar to those seen in patients discharged after a follow-up stay on a hospital ward, the authors of a large, population-based... read more
When Does an Effusion Become Pericardial Tamponade?
Pericardial tamponade occurs when fluid within the pericardial sac impairs filling of the right-sided chambers, leading to a decrease in cardiac output and hemodynamic compromise. It is neither a clinical nor an echocardiographic... read more
Perspectives on Strained ICU Capacity: A Survey of Critical Care Professionals
Strained intensive care unit (ICU) capacity represents a supply-demand mismatch in ICU care. Limited data have explored health care worker (HCW) perceptions of strain. Strained capacity is perceived as common among inter-professional... read more
Determination of the Feasibility of a Multicomponent Intervention Program to Prevent Delirium in the ICU
During this study a feasible multicomponent intervention program to prevent ICU delirium was developed based on expert consensus. As no consensus was reached on cognitive training, a pilot study is planned to determine the... read more
Evaluation of Stressors in ICUs
The environmental and psychological factors affecting intensive care unit patients varied according to age, sex, and educational and surgical status. These factors had adverse effects on the patients. The elimination or modification... read more
Achieving Fluid Balance
Kyle Enfield, MD, speaks with Colin K. Grissom, MD, FCCM, and Matthew W. Semler, MD, about fluid management in the critically ill. Dr. Grissom presented his talk, entitled "Achieving Fluid Balance," at the 47th Critical Care... read more
Natural History of COPD Exacerbations in a General Practice-based Population with COPD
A large proportion of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) do not exacerbate over a maximum 10 years of follow-up. AECOPD frequency in a single year predicts long-term AECOPD rate. Increasing frequency... read more
Predicting the Requirement for RRT in Intensive Care Patients with Sepsis
Sepsis is one of the most frequent causes of acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill patients, with initial organ impairment often followed by dysfunction in other systems. Renal dysfunction may therefore represent one... read more
The Cumulative Effect of Reporting and Citation Biases on the Apparent Efficacy of Treatments: The Case of Depression
The problem of study publication bias is well-known. Our examination of antidepressant trials, however, shows the pernicious cumulative effect of additional reporting and citation biases, which together eliminated most negative... read more
Hemodynamic Tolerance to IV Clonidine Infusion in the PICU
Although administration of clonidine is often associated with bradycardia and hypotension, these complications do not seem clinically significant in a mixed PICU population with a high degree of disease severity. Clonidine... read more
Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2018
The Annual Update compiles reviews of the most recent developments in experimental and clinical intensive care and emergency medicine research and practice in one comprehensive reference book. The chapters are written by... read more
Integration of Lung Ultrasound in the Diagnostic Reasoning in Acute Dyspneic Patients
Seventy-six physicians responded to the study cases (228 clinical cases resolved). Among the respondents, 28 (37%) were female, 64 (84%) were EPs, and the mean age was 37±8 years. The mean NUDs, respectively, when physicians... read more
Why Medical Schools Are Building 3-year Programs
Physician shortages and mounting student-loan debt are encouraging the growth of three-year medical school programs. The effort to build three-year medical school programs is one element in the movement to modernize medical... read more
Could Ultrasound-guided Internal Jugular Vein Catheter Insertion Replace the Use of Chest X-ray?
The implementation of ultrasound protocols during catheter placement has demonstrated multiple advantages that increase accuracy and allow medical teams to reduce operative time, potential complications, and procedure costs.... read more
Magnesium for Rapid Atrial Fibrillation Rate-Control in the ED
Over the years, IV magnesium has been studied for the treatment of rapid AF in several clinical situations, most prominently in post-cardiac surgery patients. However, there are also studies in ED and cardiology patients,... read more
