Effect of a Nurse-Led Preventive Psychological Intervention on Symptoms of PTSD Among Critically Ill Patients

Among critically ill patients in the ICU, a nurse-led preventive, complex psychological intervention did not significantly reduce patient-reported Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptom severity at 6 months. These findings... read more

Parenteral Anticoagulation Not Associated with Reduced Risk of Ischemic Stroke Among Patients with Atrial Fibrillation During Sepsis

Among patients with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) during sepsis, parenteral anticoagulation was not associated with reduced risk of ischemic stroke and was associated with higher bleeding rates. Of 113,511 patients hospitalized... read more

Beyond Ventilator-induced Diaphragm Dysfunction

Respiratory muscles are essential to ensure the vital function of breathing. The diaphragm is a unique respiratory muscle, because it contracts throughout the individual's life span without resting, not even during sleep.... read more

Causes and Consequences of Optimistic Expectations About Prognosis by Surrogate Decision-Makers in ICUs

This multicenter study shows that optimistic expectations about prognosis are prevalent among surrogates of patients with advanced critical illness, arise both from misunderstandings by surrogates and from surrogates holding... read more

Sedation and Analgesia Impact On Long-term Cognitive Dysfunction in Critical Care Survivors

Deep sedation during stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) may have deleterious effects upon the clinical and cognitive outcomes of critically ill patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. Over the last decade a vast... read more

Determinants of Citation Impact in Large Clinical Trials in Critical Care

Clinical trials conducted by investigator-led research groups are significantly more frequently cited than industry-led trials in critical care medicine. In addition, costs appear to be substantially lower with investigator-led... read more

Transfusion Practice in the ICU

This study shows a group of MICU physicians altered transfusion practice after the publication of the TRICC trial results and that, in the years following, transfusion practice has remained closer to the restrictive transfusion... read more

Impact of Vasoactive Medications on ICU-Acquired Weakness in Mechanically Ventilated Patients

In mechanically ventilated patients enrolled in a randomized clinical trial of early mobilization, the use of vasoactive medications was independently associated with the development of ICU-acquired weakness. Prospective... read more

Physical Function Impairment in Survivors of Critical Illness in an ICU Recovery Clinic

Physical function measurement in a recovery clinic is feasible and may inform subsequent morbidity and mortality. 36 patients were seen in clinic from July 2014 to June 2015; the median SPPB score was 5 (IQR 5). The... read more

Physical Rehabilitation in the ICU

Survivors of critical illness frequently experience poor physical outcomes, including persistent impairments in muscle strength, exercise capacity and physical function. In this article, we review these impairments and... read more

Comparison of Diagnostic Accuracy Among Procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, and Interleukin 6 for Blood Culture Positivity in General ICU Patients

Despite various technological advances, it still usually takes at least 24 to 48 h to obtain a blood culture result. The subsequent delays in diagnosis and treatment of infection can negatively impact care in the intensive... read more

Oxalate Nephropathy Following Vitamin C Intake within ICU

Compelling evidence obtained from in-vitro and animal studies suggest that vitamin C, a circulating antioxidant, may be a valuable adjunctive therapy in critically-ill patients. Data from humans are more conflicting.... read more

Evaluating Delivery of Low Tidal Volume Ventilation in Six ICUs Using Electronic Health Record Data

Despite low mean tidal volume in the cohort, a significant percentage of patients were exposed to a prolonged duration of high tidal volumes which was correlated with higher mortality. Detailed ventilator records in the... read more

Lung Recruitability in Severe ARDS Requiring ECMO

Significant variability in potential for lung recruitment in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). 47 adults with severe ARDS requiring ECMO... read more

The Role of the Physician Assistant in Critical Care

Since inception in the mid-1960s, the Physician Assistant (PA) profession has grown to become an integral part of healthcare delivery. As the name implies, PAs were historically seen as assistants to the physician, helping... read more

Intensive vs. Conventional Glucose Control in Critically Ill Patients

n this large, international, randomized trial, we found that intensive glucose control increased mortality among adults in the ICU: a blood glucose target of 180 mg or less per deciliter resulted in lower mortality than did... read more

Balanced Crystalloids vs. Saline in Critically Ill Adults

Among critically ill adults, the use of balanced crystalloids for intravenous fluid administration resulted in a lower rate of the composite outcome of death from any cause, new renal-replacement therapy, or persistent renal... read more

Biomarker Profiles of Coagulopathy and Alveolar Epithelial Injury in ARDS

Coagulopathy and alveolar epithelial injury were observed in both patients with direct common risk factors (dARDS) and with idiopathic or immune-related diseases (iARDS). However, their biomarker profiles were significantly... read more

Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Positive Airway Pressure Treatment and Postoperative Delirium

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common among older surgical patients, and delirium is a frequent and serious postoperative complication. Emerging evidence suggests that OSA increases the risk for postoperative delirium.... read more

Detection, Treatment of Dyspnea Inconsistent in ICU

Although the prevalence of dyspnea was at least as high as that of pain, the detection and treatment of moderate to severe dyspnea were more inconsistent than for pain among critically ill patients in the ICU, according to... read more

Derivation and Validation of Plasma Endostatin for Predicting Renal Recovery from AKI

Plasma endostatin shows a useful value for predicting failure to recover from acute kidney injury (AKI). The predictive ability can be greatly improved when endostatin is combined with the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment... read more

Use of Machine Learning to Analyze Routinely Collected ICU Data

The rate of publication of studies using machine learning to analyze routinely collected ICU data is increasing rapidly. The sample sizes used in many published studies are too small to exploit the potential of these methods.... read more