Lung Microbiome: Key to Respiratory Ills?
Recently, JAMA discussed this research and its potential clinical applications with 2 experts on the front lines, Jack Gilbert, PhD, a microbial ecologist at the University of Chicago and director of its new Microbiome Center... read more
Komodo dragon-inspired synthetic peptide DRGN-1 promotes wound-healing of a mixed-biofilm infected wound
Cationic antimicrobial peptides are multifunctional molecules that have a high potential as therapeutic agents. We have identified a histone H1-derived peptide from the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), called VK25. Using... read more
Comparison of Alveolar Recruitment Strategies for Preventing Postoperative Pulmonary Complications
This randomized clinical trial compares the effects of adding an intensive vs moderate alveolar recruitment strategy to protective ventilation on the number and severity of pulmonary complications following cardiac surgery.... read more
Top 5 Skills Every Nurse Should Develop Quickly
What are the top five skills that every nurse should develop? Nope! Not those. I imagine many of you reading automatically think about the clinical skills it takes to become a professional nurse. While clinical skills are... read more
Communicating Context in Quality Improvement Reports
The study by Demb and colleagues reports on the positive results of an intervention strategy to reduce excess radiation exposure across 5 academic medical centers associated with the University of California. Leading up to... read more
The impact of emergency department crowding on early interventions and mortality in patients with severe sepsis
Critically ill patients require significant time and care coordination in the emergency department (ED). We hypothesized that ED crowding would delay time to intravenous fluids and antibiotics, decrease utilization of protocolized... read more
Value-Based Reforms and the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program
In this longitudinal study of 2837 US hospitals between 2008 and 2015, we found that participation in 1 or more Medicare value-based reforms - including the Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records program, the Accountable... read more
The Prevalence of Acute Critical Neurological Disease in Children
Neurologic insults are a significant pediatric international health issue. They are frequent and contribute substantial morbidity and mortality. These data suggest a need for an increased focus on acute critical neurologic... read more
Pricey Technology Is Keeping People Alive Who Don’t Want to Live
As an ICU physician, I’ve used technologies like breathing machines and feeding tubes to save lives that would have been lost just a few decades earlier. But I’ve also seen the substantial costs, both human and financial,... read more
Family Responses to Prognostic Information in Chronic Critical Illness
Prognostic disclosure by skilled clinician communicators evokes a repertoire of responses from surrogates for the chronically critically ill. Recognition of these response patterns may help all clinicians better communicate... read more
Defining the Role of Specialists in Value-Based Health Care
Health care is at a crossroads and under pressure to add value by improving patient experience and health outcomes and reducing costs to the system. Efforts to improve the care model in primary care, such as the patient-centered... read more
The association of sleep quality, delirium, and sedation status with daily participation in physical therapy in the ICU
Poor sleep is common in the ICU setting and may represent a modifiable risk factor for patient participation in ICU-based physical therapy (PT) interventions. This study evaluates the association of perceived sleep quality,... read more
Association between delirium superimposed on dementia and mortality in hospitalized older adults
In a prospective cohort study, Thiago Junqueira Avelino-Silva and colleagues examine the association of delirium superimposed on dementia on hospital mortality and 12-month mortality in hospitalized older adults. This was... read more
Resistance Training for Glycemic Control, Muscular Strength, and Lean Body Mass in Old Type 2 Diabetic Patients
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) in elderly patients is associated with accelerated loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. However, there are few meta-analysis reviews which investigate the effects of resistance training (RT) on... read more
A Call for Fresh Airway Management Standards
Anesthesiology News recently reported on a study that promoted the LMA in prone position to "avoid intubation, reduce use of relaxants and minimize airway trauma." This study reflects increasing confusion in a complex... read more
Clinical Practice Guidelines for Sustained Neuromuscular Blockade in the Adult Critically Ill Patient
Dr. Todd Fraser, MD, speaks with Michael J. Murray, MD, PhD, FCCM, FCCP, about the article, "Clinical Practice Guidelines for Sustained Neuromuscular Blockade in the Adult Critically Ill Patient," published in Critical Care... read more
Use of ‘tidal volume challenge’ to improve the reliability of pulse pressure variation
Fluid loading is usually the first step in the resuscitation of patients with acute circulatory failure. Fluid responsiveness is defined as the ability of the left ventricle to increase its stroke volume in response to fluid... read more
