Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines: 2016 Update

Ludwig Lin, MD, speaks with Mitchell M. Levy, MD, MCCM, about the release of the "Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock: 2016," presented at the 46th Critical Care Congress... read more

Management of COPD exacerbations: a European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society guideline

This document provides clinical recommendations for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. This recommendation places a high value on improving clinical outcomes and a lower value on the burden... read more

Management of COPD exacerbations: a European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society guideline

Comparing Use of Low-Value Health Care Services Among U.S. Advanced Practice Clinicians and Physicians

Many physicians believe that advanced practice clinicians (APCs) provide care of relatively lower value. APCs and physicians provided an equivalent amount of low-value health services, dispelling physicians' perceptions... read more

Comparing Use of Low-Value Health Care Services Among U.S. Advanced Practice Clinicians and Physicians

New Guideline Will Allow First-Year Doctors to Work 24-Hour Shifts

First-year doctors in training will now be permitted to work shifts lasting as long as 24 hours, eight hours longer than the current limit, according to a professional organization that sets work rules for graduates from... read more

New Guideline Will Allow First-Year Doctors to Work 24-Hour Shifts

Care that Matters: Quality Measurement and Health Care

Barry Saver and colleagues caution against the use of process and performance metrics as health care quality measures in the United States. There is limited evidence that many "quality" measures - including those... read more

Care that Matters: Quality Measurement and Health Care

Why the New Sepsis Guideline Changed

Recent guidelines for how to best manage septic shock have changed. Gone are recommendations for central venous oxygen saturation monitoring and goal-directed therapy. In is the concept that septic shock be treated as an... read more

Why the New Sepsis Guideline Changed

No IV Hydration for Contrast Nephropathy? AMACING Trial Challenges a Cornerstone of Prophylaxis

A Dutch study undercutting the established role of hydration in preventing kidney damage during procedures is raising eyebrows. Dutch researchers are calling into question one of the cornerstone practices of cath labs and... read more

No IV Hydration for Contrast Nephropathy? AMACING Trial Challenges a Cornerstone of Prophylaxis

New Guidelines for Accurate Diagnosis of C. difficile Infection

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), a potentially lethal bacterial infection, causes colon inflammation and is responsible for 3,700 deaths in Europe per year. This highly symptomatic infection causes fever, diarrhea,... read more

New Guidelines for Accurate Diagnosis of C. difficile Infection

Glut of Anesthesia Guidelines a Disservice, Except for Lawyers

Anesthesia practice guidelines are out of control, too many to adopt, too anecdotal to accept and too political to take seriously! Clinicians are already ignoring and pushing back on guidelines. A study presented at the recent... read more

Glut of Anesthesia Guidelines a Disservice, Except for Lawyers

Updated Guidelines for Sepsis Management

In 2017 the Society for Critical Care Medicine updated its guidelines for sepsis management. These new guidelines differ significantly from ones in the past in that they no longer recommend protocolized resuscitation and... read more

Updated Guidelines for Sepsis Management

Prophylactic hydration to protect renal function from intravascular iodinated contrast material in patients at high risk of contrast-induced nephropathy

Between June 17, 2014, and July 17, 2016, 660 consecutive patients were randomly assigned to receive no prophylaxis (n=332) or intravenous hydration (n=328). 2–6 day serum creatinine was available for 307 (92%) of 332 patients... read more

Prophylactic hydration to protect renal function from intravascular iodinated contrast material in patients at high risk of contrast-induced nephropathy

Pain Assessment in INTensive care (PAINT)

Pain is a common and distressing symptom experienced by intensive care patients. Assessing pain in this environment is challenging, and published guidelines have been inconsistently implemented. The Pain Assessment in INTensive... read more

Pain Assessment in INTensive care (PAINT)

Major publications in the critical care pharmacotherapy literature

The Critical Care Pharmacotherapy Literature Update (CCPLU) Group is composed of over 50 experienced critical care pharmacists who evaluate 31 peer-reviewed journals monthly to identify literature pertaining to pharmacotherapy... read more

Major publications in the critical care pharmacotherapy literature

AAP: Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care

The 2017 Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care (Periodicity Schedule) have been approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and represents a consensus of AAP and the Bright Futures Periodicity Schedule... read more

AAP: Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care

Guidelines for Family-Centered Care in the Neonatal, Pediatric, and Adult ICU

The primary goal of these guidelines is to identify best practices for family-centered care in the ICU based on existing evidence. These guidelines were developed using a rigorous, objective, and transparent assessment of... read more

Guidelines for Family-Centered Care in the Neonatal, Pediatric, and Adult ICU

Wide variations found in evaluation of newborns for sepsis

The evaluation of well-appearing term infants for early-onset sepsis (EOS) varies considerably among hospitals, with some doing extensive work-ups and giving antibiotics while others simply observe and provide newborn routine... read more

Wide variations found in evaluation of newborns for sepsis

Manufacturer guidelines fall short for endoscope reprocessing

A just-published study finds that current endoscopic manufacturer cleaning instructions for a wide range of GI, urological and respiratory devices used in diagnostic procedures still fail to protect patients from the risk... read more

Manufacturer guidelines fall short for endoscope reprocessing

Hydrocortisone Fails to Prevent Septic Shock

Hydrocortisone failed to reduce the risk of septic shock in severe sepsis patients in recent research, though its authors held out hope that a larger study could show a better result. Current guidelines recommend hydrocortisone... read more

Hydrocortisone Fails to Prevent Septic Shock