Gas Exchange in ARDS
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by severe impairment of gas exchange. Hypoxemia is mainly due to intrapulmonary shunt, whereas increased alveolar dead space explains the alteration of CO2 clearance.... read more
National Variation in the Use of Tracheostomy in Children Undergoing Congenital Heart Surgery
Variation in the usage of tracheostomy in infants and children undergoing congenital heart surgery exists across the country. High-tracheostomy centers had lower hospital charges. Late tracheostomy placement, higher congenital... read more
Understanding Patient Outcomes After ARDS
We identified four post-ARDS outcome subtypes that were predicted by sex, ethnicity, pre-ARDS smoking status and other baseline factors. These subtypes may help develop tailored rehabilitation strategies, including investigation... read more
Telehealth more popular for scheduled and patient-focused visits
New report from CHIME and KLAS virtual care platforms are finding favor for scheduled and patient-focused visits, on-demand and consumer-focused meetings and telespecialty consults. Despite ongoing questions about reimbursement... read more
A Better Way to Detect Sepsis in Kids in the ED
We have been interested in this question for a long time here at CHOP and have done several interventions over the past several years to try to improve our ability to recognize children with septic shock. When we started... read more
Detecting Undiagnosed Atrial Fibrillation with Cardiac Monitors
A group of researchers led by James A. Reiffel, M.D., did a study to determine the incidence of previously undiagnosed atrial fibrillation in high-risk patients with the use of insertable cardiac monitors (ICM). The results... read more
Longer hospital stay linked to low health literacy
Low health literacy is associated with a longer hospital length of stay among general medicine patients, according to a study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. Ethan G. Jaffee, MD, from Massachusetts General... read more
Continuing Rehabilitation After ICU Discharge
This article discusses technological innovations that promote survival and enhance recovery, starting within the ICU with developments in ventilation, sedation, early mobility and ICU design. Post-ICU, the establishment of... read more
Immunoglobulin G for patients with Necrotising Soft Tissue Infection
The aim of the INSTINCT trial was to assess the effect of intravenous polyspecific immunoglobulin G (IVIG) compared with placebo on self-reported physical function in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with necrotising soft... read more
Frailty Association with Perioperative Morbidity in Patients After Ambulatory General Surgery Operations
Frailty is associated with increased perioperative morbidity in common ambulatory general surgery operations, independent of age, type of anesthesia, and other comorbidities. Surgeons should consider frailty rather than chronological... read more
Quality initiative reduced the number of chest X-rays conducted in the NICU
A quality improvement initiative implemented at Washington, D.C.-based Children's National Health System successfully reduced the number of chest X-rays conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit, decreasing the risk of... read more
Comparison of Postoperative Outcomes Among Patients Treated by Male and Female Surgeons
After accounting for patient, surgeon, and hospital characteristics, patients treated by female surgeons had a small but statistically significant decrease in 30 day mortality and similar surgical outcomes (length of stay,... read more
Tenfold increase in childhood and adolescent obesity in four decades
The number of obese children and adolescents (aged five to 19 years) worldwide has risen tenfold in the past four decades. If current trends continue, more children and adolescents will be obese than moderately or severely... read more
Adverse Effects of Crystalloid and Colloid Fluids
Volume therapy can be managed according to the fluid balance method, the outcome-guided method, or the goal-directed method. One reason why fluid is needed is that anesthesia disrupts the normal autonomic control of the circulation,... read more
Rapid genetic testing useful for diagnosis of critically ill children
In a cohort of children under the age of 12 months admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) without a clear diagnosis, rapid, targeted genetic testing revealed a diagnosis in about one-third of patients. Genetic diagnoses... read more
Doctors Feel What It’s Like to Be in the ICU
Immersive art project lets Mount Sinai staff hear noises and feel confined like intensive-care brain trauma patients; a new view of treating unconscious patients.... read more
Hospital admissions for sepsis jump 89% in Pennsylvania
The number of Lehigh Valley hospital admissions for sepsis, an increasingly prevalent life-threatening complication from infections, increased by 69 percent over eight years, according to a state report released Wednesday.... read more
Terminal weaning or immediate extubation for withdrawing mechanical ventilation in critically ill patients
This prospective observational multicentre study (ARREVE) was done in 43 French ICUs to compare terminal weaning and immediate extubation, as chosen by the ICU team. Terminal weaning was a gradual decrease in the amount of... read more
Hypothermia No Help When Cardiac Arrest Occurs in Hospital
While therapeutic hypothermia may help improve some outcomes, it doesn't appear to provide benefit when cardiac arrest happens in a hospital setting, according this study.... read more
Cooling therapy might not help all cardiac arrest patients
While cooling patients whose hearts stop suddenly outside the hospital may help improve outcomes, it doesn't seem to show the same benefit when cardiac arrest happens in a hospital setting, a new study suggests.... read more
Study suggests a new tool for diagnosing post-concussion syndrome
Unlike more common diagnostic tools, including magnetic resonance imaging and computerized axial tomography scan, diffusion tensor imaging, or DTI, effectively scans for micro abnormalities that may often go undetected by... read more
Post-ICU syndrome signals need for better transition between life-saving care and return to life
Studies show that there are a range of reactions to a stay in the ICU, from the physical wasting that patients experience when they're prone and immobilized to the emotional problems that can come with surviving a near-death... read more
