Comparison of Self-Reported and Behavioral Pain Assessment Tools in Critically Ill Patients

Self-reported and behavioral pain assessment scales are often used interchangeably in critically ill patients due to fluctuations in mental status. The correlation between scales is not well elucidated. The purpose of this... read more

Comparison of Self-Reported and Behavioral Pain Assessment Tools in Critically Ill Patients

Clinicians’ Perceptions of Rationales for Rehabilitative Exercise in a Critical Care Setting

Rehabilitative exercise for critically ill patients may have many benefits; however, it is unknown what intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians perceive to be important rationale for the implementation of rehabilitative exercise... read more

Clinicians’ Perceptions of Rationales for Rehabilitative Exercise in a Critical Care Setting

Diagnostic Accuracy of Delirium Assessment Methods in Critical Care Patients

Delirium is a disorder of decreased ability to focus, sustain or shift attention, change in cognition and or perception. The main objective was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU... read more

Diagnostic Accuracy of Delirium Assessment Methods in Critical Care Patients

Animal-assisted Intervention in the ICU: A Tool for Humanization

The combination of an aging population and advances in critical care medicine is resulting in a growing number of survivors of critical illness. Survivors' descriptions of their stay in an intensive care unit (ICU) are frequently... read more

Animal-assisted Intervention in the ICU: A Tool for Humanization

Persistence of Delirium after Cessation of Sedatives and Analgesics and Impact on Clinical Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients

As delirium is a common manifestation in critically ill patients and is associated with worse clinical outcomes, we sought to characterize the reversibility of delirium after discontinuation of sedation and to determine whether... read more

Persistence of Delirium after Cessation of Sedatives and Analgesics and Impact on Clinical Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients

Recovery After Critical Illness: Putting the Puzzle Together

In this review, we seek to highlight how critical illness and critical care affect longer-term outcomes, to underline the contribution of ICU delirium to cognitive dysfunction several months after ICU discharge, to give new... read more

Recovery After Critical Illness: Putting the Puzzle Together

The Effect of a Quality Improvement Intervention on Perceived Sleep Quality and Cognition in the ICU

An ICU-wide quality improvement intervention to improve sleep and delirium is feasible and associated with significant improvements in perceived nighttime noise, incidence of delirium/coma, and daily delirium/coma-free status.... read more

The Effect of a Quality Improvement Intervention on Perceived Sleep Quality and Cognition in the ICU

Prognostic Effects of Delirium Motor Subtypes in Hospitalized Older Adults

One in three acutely ill hospitalized older adults who suffered hypo-active or mixed delirium died in the hospital. Clinicians should be aware that hypo-active symptoms of delirium, whether shown exclusively or in alternation... read more

Prognostic Effects of Delirium Motor Subtypes in Hospitalized Older Adults

Effect of Nocturnal Sound Reduction on the Incidence of Delirium in ICU Patients

The incidence of delirium in ICU patients was significantly reduced after implementation of a nocturnal sound-reduction protocol. However, reported sleep quality did not improve. A significant difference in slope in the percentage... read more

Effect of Nocturnal Sound Reduction on the Incidence of Delirium in ICU Patients

Antipsychotics for Prevention and Treatment of Delirium

Delirium is a common, complex and costly condition in older adults. Every year, over 7 million hospitalized Americans suffer from delirium. A recent systematic review found that 31% of critical care patients have delirium,... read more

Antipsychotics for Prevention and Treatment of Delirium

The Overlooked Danger of Delirium in Hospitals

The condition, once known as "ICU psychosis," disproportionately affects seniors and those who have been heavily sedated—and the delusions can last long after they're discharged. Patients treated in intensive-care units... read more

The Overlooked Danger of Delirium in Hospitals

What have been the major recent advances in delirium research and care?

Editor-In-Chief-Elect Giuseppe Citerio discusses the recent article focused on the intensive care delirium research agenda in Intensive Care Medicine (ICM). For this evidence-based paper, a multinational and inter-professional... read more

Evaluation of early administration of simvastatin in the prevention and treatment of delirium in critically ill patients undergoing mechanical ventilation

Delirium in critically ill patients is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Neuroinflammation might be an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of delirium, and since simvastatin has anti-inflammatory properties it might... read more

Evaluation of early administration of simvastatin in the prevention and treatment of delirium in critically ill patients undergoing mechanical ventilation

Developing the Role of the Critical Care Pharmacist

The evolution of the critical care pharmacist — from lone practitioner to integral multidisciplinary team member. Pharmacists keen on a career in critical care need to understand that this is a complicated area and that... read more

Developing the Role of the Critical Care Pharmacist

Survivor’s Story Highlights Need for new ICU Support Group

A major heart attack at age 40 sent him to the ICU. Jason Levi aims to help others with life after the ICU. The medical term is post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). The nurses are Jenelle Baer and Janet Nelson. They're both... read more

Survivor’s Story Highlights Need for new ICU Support Group

Development of Dementia in Patients with Femoral Neck Fracture Who Experience Postoperative Delirium

It remains unclear to what extent postoperative delirium (POD) affects the incidence of dementia in hip fracture patients, and the methods used to detect delirium and dementia require validation. The aim of this study was... read more

Development of Dementia in Patients with Femoral Neck Fracture Who Experience Postoperative Delirium

Potentially Modifiable Risk Factors for Long-Term Cognitive Impairment After Critical Illness

Long-term cognitive impairment is common in survivors of critical illness. Little is known about the etiology of this serious complication. We sought to summarize current scientific knowledge about potentially modifiable... read more

Potentially Modifiable Risk Factors for Long-Term Cognitive Impairment After Critical Illness

Optimizing Quality and Efficiency of Critical Care Delivery

Providing "health" care is expensive, and providing "sick" care is even more expensive. Here we will outline a newly packaged, high-yield opportunity for your institution regarding optimization of your critical care service... read more

Optimizing Quality and Efficiency of Critical Care Delivery

What Can Psychologists Do in Intensive Care?

As awareness has grown of the great distress intensive care patients may suffer, units have begun recruiting psychologists to their teams. Intensive care unit psychologists aim to assess and reduce distress for patients,... read more

Dying at Home – Our Grandfather’s Great Escape

Our 94-year-old grandfather's last journey was not a glorious affair, an inelegant denouement to a life marked by global travel and migration. Still, to us, as we pushed his wheelchair out of the hospital lobby, it felt like... read more

Dying at Home – Our Grandfather’s Great Escape

Is Simvastatin the Miracle Drug We Think It Is?

Evaluation of early administration of simvastatin in the prevention and treatment of delirium in critically ill patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. This well designed and conducted trial demonstrates that there is... read more

Is Simvastatin the Miracle Drug We Think It Is?