Stories Category: Intensive Care
A closer step to artificial blood
Researchers have created an artificial red blood cell that effectively picks up oxygen in the lungs and delivers it to tissues throughout the body. This artificial blood can be freeze-dried, making it easier for combat medics... read more
Skeletal muscle quality as assessed by CT-derived skeletal muscle density is associated with 6-month mortality in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients
Low skeletal muscle quality at ICU admission, as assessed by CT-derived skeletal muscle density, is independently associated with higher 6-month mortality in mechanically ventilated patients. Thus, muscle quality as well... read more
Short-term Effects of High-Dose Caffeine on Cardiac Arrhythmias in Patients With Heart Failure
This randomized clinical trial evaluates the short-term effects of high-dose caffeine consumption vs placebo in patients with heart failure at increased risk for arrhythmic events. After 500 mg of caffeine administered over... read more
Alpha blockers more effective for large kidney stones
Researchers report a 57 percent higher risk of stone passage for larger stones with an alpha blocker, but no benefit for smaller stones. Location did not make a difference, nor did type of alpha blocker used.... read more
Drugs Don’t Cut Trastuzumab-Tied Left Ventricular Remodeling
The researchers found that the drugs were well tolerated, with no serious adverse events reported. The indexed left ventricular end diastolic volume increased in patients treated with perindopril, bisoprolol, and placebo... read more
Families and providers caring for medically complex patients share goals
In this study, parents of children with medical complexity emphasized how important many aspects of the hospital-to-home transition are to them, and they particularly emphasized how important it was to take into account their... read more
Testosterone VTE Risk; Novel Clot Buster Flops Again; Saturated Fat Culpability
The venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk warned about with testosterone treatment appears to be transient, peaking within 6 months after starting and then gradually declining.... read more
Researchers develop novel wound-healing technology
A WSU research team has successfully used a mild electric current to take on and beat drug-resistant bacterial infections, a technology that may eventually be used to treat chronic wound infections.... read more
Warding off Fight, Flight, or Freeze
There's some evidence that suggests that just by telling people the physiological facts about stress, this is why you get tunnel vision, this is why you can't remember drug doses or what's next in the algorithm... read more
Pulmaquin Looks Promising for Treating Lung Infections in Non-CF Bronchiectasis Patients
Aradigm has announced top-line results from two Phase 3 clinical trials of Pulmaquin (inhaled ciprofloxacin) for the treatment of patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (non-CF BE) who have chronic lung infections... read more
Adherence to guidelines reduces catheter-associated UTIs
Adherence to CDC guidelines for the placement, maintenance and removal of catheters and American College of Critical Care Medicine and Infectious Disease Society of America guidelines for evaluating fever in a critically... read more
Gut microbes promote motor deficits in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease
Gut microbes may play a critical role in the development of Parkinson's-like movement disorders in genetically predisposed mice, researchers report.... read more
Sleep deprivation for 24-hour work shifts can affect heart
Sleep deprivation while working 24-hour shifts affects heart function, a new German study suggests.... read more
The key to making ICUs less frightening and more comfortable for patients
Making patients feel more comfortable and less frightened while in the intensive care unit starts and ends with communication. In a radio interview with WERS 88.9 in Boston, patients and doctors share important changes that... read more
Emotional impact on relatives & friends in ICU
Having a relative, partner or close friend critically ill in ICU is a crisis situation that everyone deals with differently. Here people talk about the emotional effects when someone they were related to or close to was ill... read more
Examining Pantoprazole or Placebo for Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis
Pantoprazole is frequently administered to critically ill patients for prophylaxis against gastrointestinal bleeding. However, comparison to placebo has been inadequately evaluated, and pantoprazole has the potential to cause... read more
Benefits of PCI for STEMI Not Attenuated in Patients With a Cancer History
Having a history of cancer does not worsen outcomes for patients with STEMI who undergo primary PCI and should not be a barrier to revascularization and optimal therapy.... read more
