Impacts of Initial ICU Driving Pressure on Outcomes in Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure

Driving pressure (DP) is a marker of severity of lung injury in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and has a strong association with outcome. However, it is uncertain whether limiting DP can reduce... read more

Implementing a Bedside Percutaneous Tracheostomy and Ultrasound Gastrostomy Team Reduces Length of Stay and Hospital Costs

Thousands of critically ill patients every year in the United States receive tracheostomy and gastrostomy procedures. Recent research has investigated the benefits of a combined team approach to these procedures, with associated... read more

Predictors of Weaning Failure in Ventilated ICU Patients

Predictors for weaning failure are widely researched. To date, 145 predictors have been investigated with varying intensity in 140 studies that are in line with the current weaning definition. It is no longer just individual... read more

Skin Decontamination to Prevent ICU Infections

Intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired infections can be serious complications of medical care of critically ill patients. Despite multiple tested and implemented preventive measures for such infections, their incidence is persistently... read more

Evidence-Based Critical Care

Evidence-Based Critical Care

This is the premier evidence-based textbook in critical care medicine. The Third Edition features updated and revised chapters, numerous new references, streamlined content, and new chapters on key topics such as the new... read more

Preventing VAP Non-Pharmacologically

In critically ill, intubated patients on intensive care unit (ICU), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a significant complication contributing to substantial mortality, morbidity, and prolonged stays, which in turn... read more

ARDS and Prone Positioning

Prone positioning has been a treatment option for acute respiratory distress syndrome in critically ill patients. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, awake prone positioning has been utilized as a treatment option for non-intubated... read more

How I Perform Diaphragmatic Ultrasound in the ICU

The diaphragm is a thin, dome-shaped muscle, comprising a costal and crural part, and a non-contracting central tendon. Muscle fiber activation shortens and thickens the diaphragm in the zone of apposition, moving the dome... read more

The Paracetamol Challenge in ICU

Paracetamol is one of the most widely prescribed medications in critically ill patients. Our intensive care unit (ICU) administered 50.133 g of paracetamol in 2023 (16.230 intravenous [IV] doses, 33.825 oral doses and 78... read more

Spontaneous Breathing Trials Should Be Adapted for Each Patient According To The Critical Illness

Unassisted SBTs, namely PSV0PEEP0 and T-piece trial, are the most appropriate to replicate the postextubation effort to breathe. In this multicentre randomized cross-over study, adult intensive care unit patients under... read more

Managing Blood Glucose Control in the ICU

Current evidence supports avoiding iatrogenic factors that aggravate hyperglycemia, such as early-PN and liberal corticosteroid use, and does not support TGC, except with accurate tools and protocols that prevent iatrogenic... read more

Invasive Fungal Infections in Non-neutropenic Patients

Critically ill patients, particularly those with features of immunosuppression, are susceptible to invasive fungal infections (IFI), which pose significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Candida and Aspergillus,... read more

Outcomes and inflammation changes in different types of immunocompromised patients with critically ill COVID-19 admitted to ICU

Critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU exhibit distinct clinical outcomes based on their immunosuppression status, with cancer patients facing the highest mortality rate due to variations in inflammatory responses... read more

Pulmonary Barotrauma in COVID-19 Patients: Experience From a Tertiary University Hospital

Mechanical ventilation (MV) in COVID-19 patients is often complicated with pulmonary barotrauma. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and risk factors associated with the development of pulmonary barotrauma... read more

Delirium and Weakness Acquired in the ICU: Individual and Combined Effects on 90-Day Mortality in Survivors of Critical Illness

Mortality is substantially high among critically ill survivors who experience both delirium and weakness, although no additive effect on mortality was observed when these conditions occur together. Our findings highlight... read more

A Blueprint for Change in Acute and Critical Care Nursing

A new article from Penn Nursing faculty proposes a significant shift in how nursing care is measured within acute and critical care settings by recognizing the full scope of a nurse's work and its impact on patient outcomes. The... read more

COVID-19 and the Cardiovascular System: From Pathophysiology to Clinical Management

COVID-19 and the Cardiovascular System: From Pathophysiology to Clinical Management

COVID-19 and the Cardiovascular System: From Pathophysiology to Clinical Management comprehensively covers COVID-19's impact on the cardiovascular system. Coverage includes the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnostic... read more