Stories Category: Intensive Care
Association Between Benzodiazepine Use With or Without Opioid Use and All-Cause Mortality in the US
This study found a significant increase in all-cause mortality associated with benzodiazepine use with or without opioid use in comparison with SSRI use. Benzodiazepine and opioid co-treatment, in particular, was associated... read more
Lung ventilation distribution in patients after traditional full sternotomy and minimally invasive thoracotomy
The aim of the study was to examine the post-operative ventilation distribution changes in cardiac surgical patients after traditional full sternotomy (FS) or minimally invasive thoracotomy (MIT). A total of 40 patients... read more
Changes in Drug List Prices and Amounts Paid by Patients and Insurers
In this cross-sectional study, we found that increases in drug wholesale list prices are associated with increases in net patient out-of-pocket costs and insurer payments. This finding suggests that, although discounts and... read more
Response to optic nerve sheath diameter guided detection of sepsis associated encephalopathy
regarding the blind method, being uninformed of the clinical diagnoses of patients is unavailing, since clues will still be found in patients' clinical manifestations. Therefore, two trained physicians in intensive ultrasound... read more
Ultrasound Probe: POCUS for Flexor Tenosynovitis
A 21 year-old female with no past medical history presented to the emergency department (ED) with ring finger pain and swelling of her right hand over the past six days. According to the patient, she initially developed a... read more
Risk factors and events in the adult ICU associated with pain as self-reported at the end of the intensive care unit stay
The short-term and long-term consequences of the most frequent painful procedures performed in the ICU are unclear. This study aimed to identify the risk factors associated with pain-related discomfort perceived by critically... read more
PEM Playbook – Pediatric Pain
Pain is multifactorial: it is comprised of physical, psychological, emotional, cultural, and contextual features. In children often the predominant feature may not be initially apparent. Although clinicians may focus on... read more
Will the asthma revolution fostered by biologics also benefit adult ICU patients?
Asthma exacerbations are inflammatory events that rarely result in full hospitalization following an ER visit. Unfortunately, certain patients require prolonged support, including occasional external lung support through... read more
ED Evaluation and Management of Non-Obstetric Abdominal Pain in the Pregnant Patient
A 27-year-old G4P2 female at 25-weeks gestation presents to the emergency department with right upper quadrant abdominal pain. The pain began yesterday and was initially a generalized discomfort that localized to the right... read more
Impact of implantation time on early function of cardiac transplant
Data on out-of-ice implantation ischemia in heart transplant are scarce. We examined implantation time's impact on allograft dysfunction.METHODS: We conducted a single-site retrospective review of all primary adult heart... read more
Dr. Atul Gawande on why COVID-19 vaccinations will test American society
The distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in America will test a deeply divided society, and not just because of mistrust in vaccinations, Atul Gawande, MD, told New Yorker Editor David Remnick. Dr. Gawande, longtime contributor... read more
CDC update calls for universal mask-wearing
The CDC calls for universal mask use at all times indoors, except when within one's own household, and outside when distances of 6 feet or more cannot be maintained. Additional strategies in the report are social distancing... read more
Experience Caring for a Severe COVID-19 Patient With ARDS in the ICU
The author's experience caring for a patient with COVID-19 whose condition deteriorated rapidly into a critical illness in the negative pressure room of the ICU is described in this article. The onset of severe acute... read more
Apoptotic cells for therapeutic use in cytokine storm associated with sepsis
Sepsis has no proven specific pharmacologic treatment. Reported mortality in sepsis ranges from 30%-45%. This study was designed to determine the safety preliminary efficacy of allogenic apoptotic cells administered for immunomodulation... read more
Appendiceal Perforation at a Children’s Hospital During COVID-19 vs 2019
Although studies in the adult literature and case series in the pediatric literature have reported delays in medical care attributable to COVID-19, we report a statistically significant increased rate of appendiceal perforation... read more
Overlooked bias with thermometer evaluations using quickly retaken temperatures in EHR
Studies related to COVID-19 increasingly use electronic health records (EHR) to obtain large-scale evidence. However, EHR-based research must be performed with care because it can involve new study design problems that are... read more
14-Day Occurrence of Hypoxia, ICU Admission, and Death Among Patients with COVID-19
Uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 regarding rapid progression to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and unusual clinical characteristics make discharge from a monitored setting challenging. Model derivation and... read more
