Postoperative Pain Predicts 30-day Readmission
Postoperative pain trajectories identify populations at risk for 30-day readmissions and ED visits, and do not seem to be mediated by postdischarge complications. Addressing pain control expectations before discharge may... read more
New study finds stress levels skyrocket for family members of ICU patients
New research by Intermountain Healthcare finds family members of patients in ICU have anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress lasting months. It's the first study of its kind to investigate the link between cortisol... read more
Value of Social Media in Advancing Surgical Research
Some say surgical research is an oxymoron, maybe because they do not know how much surgeons long for high-quality clinical investigation when they have to make decisions on how to treat their patients. Unfortunately, hard... read more
Acute Kidney Injury in Sepsis
Acute kidney injury (AKI) and sepsis carry consensus definitions. The simultaneous presence of both identifies septic AKI. Septic AKI is the most common AKI syndrome in ICU and accounts for approximately half of all such... read more
Sepsis Early Warning Score Adopted in UK
Every NHS hospital trust in England will be asked to adopt a new clinical system for assessing acutely ill patients. The National Early Warning Score (NEWS), developed by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in 2012, has... read more
New Infection Prevention Research Grant Award
The SHEA Education and Research Foundation (SHEAERF), in collaboration with the SHEA Research Committee, is seeking bright and dedicated early investigators within 5 years of completion of training (MPH, PhD, PharmD, or MD)... read more
Surviving Sepsis
This audio documentary takes a glimpse into the lives of those that have survived the unimaginable.... read more
Nutrition Therapy – One Size Does Not Fit All
A review paper published in Critical Care highlights the importance of employing targeted nutritional care for critically ill patients. The sad truth, according to the article, is that current ICU nutrition delivery worldwide... read more
Survivor’s Story Highlights Need for new ICU Support Group
A major heart attack at age 40 sent him to the ICU. Jason Levi aims to help others with life after the ICU. The medical term is post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). The nurses are Jenelle Baer and Janet Nelson. They're both... read more
What is the Role of Benchmarking for Intensive Care?
Although the evaluation of a single intensive care unit (ICU) over time can produce insightful results, self-reflection can lead to excessive optimism or criticism. Benchmarking against other ICUs can provide ICU staff and... read more
Initial Crystalloid Resuscitation in Sepsis and Septic Shock
Ludwig Lin, MD, speaks with Daniel E. Leisman, BS, about the article, "Patterns and Outcomes Associated With Timeliness of Initial Crystalloid Resuscitation in a Prospective Sepsis and Septic Shock Cohort," published in Critical... read more
Delayed Intubation Linked to Poor Outcome
The optimal timing of endotracheal intubation in critically ill patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation remains undefined. A new analysis of the large, prospective Intensive Care Over Nations (ICON) database compares... read more
A New Awareness of Mental Health in ICU Patients
During the last decade, the field of critical care medicine has been undergoing a sea change, says Dale Needham, medical director of the Johns Hopkins Critical Care Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Program. It wasn't... read more
Machine Learning Model Predicts Sepsis in ICU Patients 12 Hours Before Diagnosis
A machine learning model accurately predicted the onset of sepsis in ICU patients four to 12 hours prior to clinical recognition in a recent study. The observational cohort study used data from more than 31,000 admissions... read more
When Do Confounding by Indication and Inadequate Risk Adjustment Bias Critical Care Studies?
In critical care observational studies, when clinicians administer different treatments to sicker patients, any treatment comparisons will be confounded by differences in severity of illness between patients. We sought to... read more
Helping The ITU Patient Sleep
It is well-known that patients in the intensive care units do suffer from a lack of sleep and frequent sleep disturbances. So how can we help the ITU patient sleep? This is a Cochrane review looking at the efficacy of non-pharmacological... read more
Considerations for Physicians Using Ketamine for Sedation of Children in EDs
Ketamine use in emergency departments (EDs) for procedural sedation and analgesia is becoming increasingly common. However, few studies have examined patient factors related to adverse events associated with ketamine. This... read more
Chart Reviews In Emergency Medicine Research: Where Are The Methods?
Medical chart reviews are often used in emergency medicine research. However, the reliability of data abstracted by chart reviews is seldom examined critically. The objective of this investigation was to determine the proportion... read more
The EM Educator Series: Sepsis in the ED
These posts provide brief mini-cases followed by key questions to consider while working. The featured questions provide important learning points for those working with you, as well as vital items to consider in the evaluation... read more
Social Determinants of Health: A Missing Link in Emergency Medicine Training
The health of a population depends upon several factors, including disease, public health initiatives, and the social determinants of health (SDH). These factors often converge in the emergency department (ED) where the impact... read more
Fatigue and Sleep Deprivation
Being a doctor typically involves high-intensity, time-pressured working patterns. These can lead to sleep deprivation and fatigue, effecting doctors' health, well-being and performance, their safety and that of their patients.... read more
Effect of a National Standard for Deteriorating Patients on Intensive Care Admissions Due to Cardiac Arrest in Australia
The main objective of this study is to assess whether a national standard for improving care of deteriorating patients affected ICU admissions following cardiac arrests from hospital wards. Introducing a national standard... read more
