Liberation from Mechanical Ventilation in Critically Ill Adults
Official Executive Summary of an American Thoracic Society/American College of Chest Physicians Clinical Practice Guideline: Liberation from Mechanical Ventilation in Critically Ill Adults. The panel provides recommendations... read more
Which Physicians Are the Happiest?
This year's lifestyle survey, as in previous ones, asked whether physicians were happy at home or at work. Of physicians who said they were either very or extremely happy at work, dermatologists and ophthalmologists... read more
Critical care ultrasonography in acute respiratory failure
CCUS combining CCE and chest ultrasonography rapidly provides valuable information in patients presenting with ARF. A pragmatic and systematic applied protocol may first evaluate how aerated is the lung and whether there... read more
Effect of Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in major burn patients
The inclusion of ω-3 PUFAs in a low fat diet in ICU burned patients was associated with significant clinical benefits compared to a conventional low fat diet, with lower rates of severe sepsis, septic shock and pyloric dysfunction.... read more
Audible Leak Test Accurate Measure for Tracheal Tube Sizes
The audible leak test is a reliable method for verifying appropriate tracheal tube sizes in infants and children, according to a recent study. Many factors can affect the results of the audible leak test, according to the... read more
Impact of transfusion on patients with sepsis admitted in ICU
Red blood cell transfusion (RBCT) threshold in patients with sepsis remains a matter of controversy. A threshold of 7 g/dL for stabilized patients with sepsis is commonly proposed, although debated. The aim of the study was... read more
Towards precision medicine for sepsis patients
Over the last decade it has become clear that the immunological response and clinical course in sepsis patients is too complex to simply regard it as hyperinflammation-induced organ failure. In contrast to the previous belief... read more
Acetaminophen, Among Other Medications, Triggers Drug-Induced Liver Injury
More than 1,000 medications, with acetaminophen being the most common, have been associated with drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Diagnosis can be challenging due to the multitude of contributing factors, and timely recognition... read more
Scientists develop potential new TB vaccine
Researchers are working on a potential new tuberculosis vaccine that would be the first new TB vaccine in a century to combat drug-resistance. The new vaccine uses biobeads to place antigens from the tuberculosis bacterium... read more
No difference between placebo, amitriptyline and topiramate in reducing pediatric migraine
In this study, no significant intergroup differences between amitriptyline, topiramate and placebo for reduction in total number of headache days was observed. Amitriptyline and topiramate were associated with significantly... read more
The DRONE Ambulance
The drone has been designed by Argodesign, a design company based in Austin, Texas. It is modelled after a standard quadcopter, and is driven by GPS, a pilot, or a combination of both. The drone concept does not need a pilot,... read more
Use of Supraglottic Airways in Patients in the Prone Position
Supraglottic airways (SGAs) may work well for prone spinal procedures of short duration, according to a recent study. But others consider this a dangerous practice. SGA use has been studied in the prone position but with... read more
Spinraza Cuts Risk of Permanent Ventilation with SMA
Biogen announced new data from the Phase 3 ENDEAR study that showed a statistically significant reduction in the risk of death or permanent ventilation in Spinraza (nusinersen)-treated infants with spinal muscular atrophy... read more
Statins for Primary Prevention
A recent issue of JAMA contains the latest US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation statement on statins for prevention of cardiovascular disease in adults, along with the accompanying evidence report and... read more
Clinical Pharmacist Role in the ICU
An overview of the various facets of pharmacist practice in the intensive care unit (ICU), the current extent to which pharmacists are present in the ICU, along with a discussion on barriers and lessons learned in garnering... read more
COPD Patients in US Often Skip Medications
People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often have other chronic conditions, like heart disease, and those who are poor about keeping up with treatments for these comorbidites are also less likely to adhere... read more
Beta-Blockers Linked to Reduced Mortality in HFrEF
Beta-blockers are associated with significantly reduced mortality, but not hospitalizations, in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and atrial fibrillation (AF). The researchers found that β-blockers... read more