Hospital Factors May Influence NIV Outcomes Even in Low-Evidence Use
Strong evidence supports use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) for patients with respiratory distress from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure – i.e., strong evidence conditions (SECs). A new study of... read more
High Flow Nasal Cannula Use Outside of the ICU – Factors Associated with Failure
High FiO2 requirements, history of intubation, and cardiac co-morbidity are associative predictors of HFNC failure. Bronchiolitis patients may be treated with HFNC outside of the ICU with lower odds of failure. Two hundred... read more
Can we stop worrying about the age of blood?
Blood transfusions are common in critically ill patients; two in five adults admitted to an ICU receive at least one transfusion during their hospitalization. Recently, there has been growing concern about the potential dangers... read more
Enteral vs. Parenteral Early Nutrition in Ventilated Adults with Shock
In critically ill adults with shock, early isocaloric enteral nutrition did not reduce mortality or the risk of secondary infections but was associated with a greater risk of digestive complications compared with early isocaloric... read more
Review of Strategies to Reduce CLABSI and CAUTI in Adult ICUs
Central line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) are costly and morbid. Despite evidence-based guidelines, Some intensive care units (ICUs) continue to have... read more
Perspectives of Survivors, Families and Researchers on Key Outcomes for Research in ARF
There is heterogeneity among the outcomes evaluated in studies of survivors of acute respiratory failure (ARF). Patient, family and researcher groups supported inclusion of outcome domains that fit within the PICS framework.... read more
Are Biomarkers Ready for Prime Time?
Kyle Enfield, MD, speaks with John A. Kellum, MD, MCCM, about his talk presented at the 46th Critical Care Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii entitled, "Are Biomarkers Ready for Prime Time?" Dr. Kellum works as an Intensivist in... read more
Despite My Best Intentions
The resident looked worried and the intern was nervous. They were concerned about an elderly patient with low cardiac output heart failure. We reviewed our plans for the day, and as we entered his intensive care unit (ICU)... read more
Effect of treatment delay on the effectiveness and safety of antifibrinolytics in acute severe hemorrhage
Antifibrinolytics reduce death from bleeding in trauma and post-partum haemorrhage. We examined the effect of treatment delay on the effectiveness of antifibrinolytics. We obtained data for 40,138 patients from two randomised... read more
A simple algorithm for the identification of clinical COPD phenotypes
This study aimed to identify simple rules for allocating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients to clinical phenotypes identified by cluster analyses.Data from 2409 COPD patients of French/Belgian COPD cohorts... read more
Accuracy and Applications of Lung Ultrasound to Diagnose VAP
Lung ultrasound (LUS) is an accurate tool to diagnose community-acquired pneumonia. However, it is not yet an established tool to diagnose ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Small subpleural consolidations and dynamic... read more
RRT Modality in the ICU and Renal Recovery at Hospital Discharge
In this large retrospective study, intermittent hemodialysis as an initial modality was associated with lower renal recovery at hospital discharge among patients with acute kidney injury, although the difference seems somewhat... read more
Shock Trauma to Study Body Cooling for Patients in Cardiac Arrest from Massive Bleeding
The R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland has opened a clinical trial to study whether rapidly cooling the body temperature of patients whose hearts stop due to massive blood loss will give surgeons... read more
Frequency of pulmonary embolism amongst patients admitted for first-time syncope
All patients admitted to an inpatient service for first-time syncope from the emergency departments of 11 Italian hospitals from 2012-2014 were evaluated for pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary embolism was found in 17.3% of patients... read more
Higher levels of tau protein found in children with early onset psychosis
New research shows that levels of a certain type of the Alzheimer's disease-related tau protein are higher in patients aged 18 years and under suffering early onset psychosis (EOP).... read more
Animal-assisted Activity in the ICU
Animals are being introduced into hospital settings in ever-increasing numbers. Emerging literature suggests that incorporating trained animals to assist with medical care and rehabilitation therapies can promote patient... read more
An Expert Consensus Statement on Physical Rehabilitation After Hospital Discharge
A consensus-based framework for optimal physical therapy (PT) after hospital discharge is proposed. Future research should focus on feasibility testing of this framework, developing risk stratification tools and validating... read more
