ICU Telemedicine Program Financial Outcomes
The ability of properly modified ICU telemedicine programs to increase case volume and access to high-quality critical care with improved annual direct contribution margins suggests that there is a financial argument to encourage... read more
Robot aims to zap out ICU infections
Hospital workers are constantly cleaning rooms to avoid Hospital Acquired Infections at Hunterdon Medical Center, but now a robot will be working to do the dirty work. In July, the hospital purchased a $100,000 Xenex... read more
Opioid use to worse outcomes in C. difficile
A study presented at the World Congress of Gastroenterology found that patients being prescribed opioids who also have Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs) have higher peak white blood cell counts, higher creatinine elevations,... read more
Levosimendan in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery
Levosimendan reduces mortality in patients with preoperative severely reduced LVEF but does not affect overall mortality. Levosimendan reduces the need for RRT after high-risk cardiac surgery. Six RCTs were included in the... read more
Early Oseltamivir Therapy Improves the Outcome in Critically Ill with Influenza
This real-life study emphasizes oseltamivir efficacy on in-hospital outcome when administrated within 2 days of the onset of symptoms. Even if physicians' awareness of the influenza disease has been undeniably enhanced... read more
Humanizing the Treatment of Hyperactive Delirium in the Last Days of Life
When patients with advanced cancer near the end of their life, it is important for physicians, nurses, and other health care personnel to respect and dignify the dying process of the patient. This requires a shift in focus... read more
Sound and Light Levels Are Similarly Disruptive in ICU and non-ICU Wards
Quieter, non-ICU wards have as many SLCs as ICUs do, which has implications for quality improvement measurements. Efforts to further reduce average noise levels might be counterproductive. Light levels in the hospital (ICU... read more
2B4-Mediated Coinhibition of CD4+ T Cells Underlies Mortality in Experimental Sepsis
Sepsis is a leading cause of death in the United States, but the mechanisms underlying sepsis-induced immune dysregulation remain poorly understood. 2B4 (CD244, SLAM4) is a cosignaling molecule expressed predominantly on... read more
Preventing the misuse of ICU visiting hours to reduce inequities
Family participation in healthcare serves to improve outcomes across a broad spectrum of conditions. Current guidelines recommend open family presence in the intensive care unit (ICU) while citing evidence of its safety.... read more
Rapid Retriage of Critically Injured Trauma Patients
Critically injured patients presenting to nontrauma hospitals require timely transfer to trauma centers; however, the transfer process varies and differences in outcomes for patients from trauma centers are unknown. We evaluated... read more
Acute Kidney Injury Is Risk Factor for Delirium and Coma
For critically ill adults, acute kidney injury is a risk factor for delirium and coma. Stage 2 acute kidney injury was associated with increased risk of delirium and coma (odds ratios, 1.55 and 2.04, respectively), as was... read more
Does Early Mobilization Reduce Time in the Surgical ICU?
Is early mobilization in the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) beneficial? Here is a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial in five university hospitals, where they recruited a total of 200 patients.... read more
Oestrogen Inhibition Reverses PAH and Associated Metabolic Defects
Increased oestrogen is a strong epidemiological risk factor for development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients, associated with metabolic defects. In addition, oestrogens drive penetrance in mice carrying... read more
Should Transfusions Be Matched by Sex?
In the first large study to look at how blood transfusions from previously pregnant women affect recipients' health, researchers discovered men under 50 were 1.5 times more likely to die in the three years following a transfusion... read more
Evidence-Based Guidelines to Eliminate Repetitive Laboratory Testing
Routine daily laboratory testing of hospitalized patients reflects a wasteful clinical practice that threatens the value of health care. Choosing Wisely initiatives from numerous professional societies have identified repetitive... read more
The World Day of the Critical Lung Event
On November 17th 2017, the first edition of "The World Day of the Critical Lung" will be held. It will be an online, global, free, bilingual (Spanish and English) participatory and non-profit event organized by the Pan American... read more
Patient-reported Outcomes Included Into Daily Practice
Measuring relevant outcomes in a timely manner is a priority in a health care system increasingly focused on the delivery of high-value care. Most quality measures focus on care processes or downstream outcomes such as survival;... read more
