Stories Category: Intensive Care
Breakthrough research opens door to potential new therapies for inflammatory diseases
Scientists have made a major breakthrough in understanding the workings of the cellular machinery involved in a host of inflammatory diseases.... read more
Night Time Operation Doubles Death Risk
In an astonishing revelation, scientists found that patients who were operated upon in the night are twice more likely to die than those who undergo surgery during the regular working hours.... read more
Long-Term Quality of Life Among Survivors of Severe Sepsis
Severe sepsis currently accounts for 10% of all intensive care unit admissions and is the leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals. Studies have shown that sepsis survivors suffer from many long-term after-effects.... read more
Is it possible to reduce hospital admissions through evidence-based clinic staffing?
Patients who find themselves on in-center dialysis have the higher rates of hospital admissions than those on peritoneal dialysis. These admissions represent a significant financial cost and account for approximately 40%... read more
Scientists film bacteria's maneuvers as they become impervious to drugs
In a creative stroke inspired by Hollywood wizardry, scientists from Harvard Medical School and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have designed a simple way to observe how bacteria move as they become impervious to... read more
Manuka honey could fight off deadly infections in hospital equipment
Manuka honey could be a powerful new weapon in the battle against hospital-acquired infections, scientists have revealed.... read more
Aflatoxin exposure can weaken airways’ defenses opening door for severe respiratory diseases
Toxins from mold found growing on nuts or corn can weaken the airways\' self-clearing mechanisms and immunity, opening the door for respiratory diseases and exacerbating existing ones, suggests a study in Nature Scientific... read more
Practicing Empathy May Lead to More Joy in Medicine
Empathetic listening can help physicians navigate difficult situations and forge deeper connections with patients, leading to greater professional satisfaction and joy, according to the American Medical Association.... read more
Capnography best practices to improve patient handoff reports
Use these documentation and handoff tips to communicate important patient information to ED and ICU staff unfamiliar with capnography. Waveform capnography is an example of EMS as an early adopter of emerging technology.... read more
Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is present in 20% of all hospital admissions and contributes to at least 30% of critical care admissions.1 Patients who develop AWS require longer hospitalizations and have extensive medical... read more
Signs of Cardioprotection Seen in Acute STEMI Patients Receiving IV Beta-blocker Post-PCI
Patients with STEMI who receive IV infusion of the beta-blocker esmolol within 60 minutes after successful PCI tend to release smaller amounts of cardiac biomarkers than those given placebo, researchers of a single-center,... read more
AF in Sepsis: Choosing the Right Therapy
It seems that during almost every intensive care unit shift, at least one patient goes into atrial fibrillation (AF). There are several treatment options, including calcium channel blockers (CCBs), beta-blockers (BBs), digoxin,... read more
Microbiome of ICU Patients Transforms within Days of Admission
A new study shows that intensive care unit (ICU) patients have depleted populations of commensal, health-promoting microbes and higher counts pathogenic strains.... read more
Effect of atorvastatin on the incidence of acute kidney injury following valvular heart surgery
Statins, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors have the potential to reduce acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery through their pleiotropic properties. Here we studied the preventive... read more
Many Spirometers Used in Primary Care Deemed Inaccurate
Spirometers used in primary care offices are frequently inaccurate, according to a study published online Sept. 6 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. Applying percent error to clinical data set resulted in re-categorization... read more
Smoking Impacts Cardiac Structure, Function
Elderly smokers without evidence of heart disease still showed subtle alterations in left ventricular structure and impaired diastolic function in an analysis of data from an ongoing, prospective study.... read more
A look at the growing specialty of hospitalist
A hospitalist is a doctor who focuses on work in the hospital, caring for patients and navigating an increasingly complex medical institution. Rather than focusing on an organ or a disease, the work revolves around the physical... read more
