Stories Category: Intensive Care
Decompensated Hypothyroidism: Why do we miss it, and how do we improve?
A 75-year-old female is brought to the Emergency Department (ED) by emergency medical services (EMS) for altered mental status. Vital signs include BP 87/64, HR 55, T 92.6 rectal, RR 12, SpO2 95% on room air. She is oriented... read more
Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Use and Cigarette Smoking Among Young Adults
This cohort study uses propensity score matching analyses of 3 years of data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study to assess whether there is an association between electronic nicotine delivery system... read more
Antibody levels decline after 2 months, CDC finds
COVID-19 antibody levels declined within two months in 156 front-line healthcare workers involved in a CDC study published Nov. 27. Researchers collected blood samples from 3,248 front-line healthcare professionals between... read more
Miles Sibley: We need to change the hierarchy of evidence-based medicine
In July 2020, the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review published a report entitled “First Do No Harm”. Also known as the Cumberlege Review, the report set out extensive evidence of avoidable harm in... read more
Surgery guidance updated for hospitals struggling with capacity constraints
Four healthcare groups again updated their guidance for hospitals to maintain essential surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Hospital Association, American College of Surgeons, American Society of Anesthesiologists... read more
The Impacts of Gender Disparity in Residency Matching
A critical turning point for the female physician is highlighted in the study by Lorello et al1 as another one of the numerous inequities throughout the female physician’s career life cycle. Their study’s extensive assessment... read more
Microtools to Identify and Resuscitate Microcirculatory Dysfunction in Critically Ill Patients
Despite recent advances in the timely restoration of impairments in the oxygen supply chain to the tissue (Yealy et al. 2014; Peake et al. 2014; Mouncey et al. 2015), circulatory shock remains a major contributor to mortality... read more
Epidemiology of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis Among COVID-19 Intubated Patients
We found a high incidence of CAPA among critically ill COVID-19 patients and that its occurrence seems to change the natural history of disease. A total of 108 patients were enrolled. Prospective, multicentre study... read more
Clinical Evaluation of a High-fidelity Upper Arm Cuff to Measure Arterial Blood Pressure during Noncardiac Surgery
The new high-fidelity upper arm cuff method met the current international standards in terms of accuracy and precision. It was also very accurate to track changes in blood pressure and reliably detect severe hypotension during... read more
Prior Routine Use of NSAIDs and Important Outcomes in Hospitalised COVID-19 Patients
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection causes acute lung injury, resulting from aggressive inflammation initiated by viral replication. There has been much speculation about the potential role of non-steroidal inflammatory... read more
Increased Dead Space Ventilation and Refractory Hypercapnia in Patients with COVID-19
We speculate that thromboinflammation with pulmonary microvasculature occlusion leads to a sudden increase in dead space and shunt resulting in severe hypercapnia and hypoxemia in coronavirus disease 2019 patients. Early... read more
Utility of RV Remodeling Over Risk Stratification in COVID-19
This study contributes to the growing body of literature illustrating the adverse prognostic implications of RV dilation and dysfunction in the setting of severe COVID-19. Mechanistic explanations for RV failure in this population... read more
Will COVID-19 Vaccines Save Lives? Current Trials Aren’t Designed To Tell Us
The world has bet the farm on vaccines as the solution to the pandemic, but the trials are not focused on answering the questions many might assume they are. As phase III trials of covid-19 vaccines reach their target... read more
Resilience in a Prehospital Setting – A New Focus for Future Research?
Empirical research is of crucial importance to understand, build and support resilient systems and processes, including exploring and developing interventions to improve capacity for adaptive change in a prehospital setting. Handling... read more
Evidence-Based Practice of Critical Care
Objective data and expert guidance on managing critically ill patients in unique question-based chapters that focus on best practices. Now thoroughly updated by Drs. Clifford S. Deutschman, Patrick J. Neligan, and nearly... read more
Effect of Tocilizumab vs. Standard Care on Clinical Worsening in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 Pneumonia
The administration of tocilizumab in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and a Pao2/Fio2 ratio between 200 and 300 mm Hg did not reduce the risk of clinical worsening. Further blinded, placebo-controlled randomized clinical... read more
The Use of Venous Doppler to Predict Adverse Kidney Events in a General ICU Cohort
This study indicates that portal and hepatic flows may be clinical useful tools to help identify patients at risk for renal injury. It is likely that they are indicative of elevated right atrial pressure causing venous congestion,... read more
