Early Sepsis Screening in the Emergency Department

Early Sepsis Screening in the Emergency Department

This single-center retrospective analysis shows promising results with NEWS as a screening tool primarily because it can be done at triage and does not require any laboratory evaluation. This study adds to the current knowledge... read more

How can we make ICU rehabilitation easier for patients and relatives?

How can we make ICU rehabilitation easier for patients and relatives?

Zoe van Willigen is a Physiotherapist in Critical Care at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. Her study aims to explore patients' and relatives' experiences of ICU rehabilitation (being mobilised out of... read more

Combined Biomarkers Predict Acute Mortality Among Critically Ill Patients With Suspected Sepsis

Combined Biomarkers Predict Acute Mortality Among Critically Ill Patients With Suspected Sepsis

Combined biomarkers predict risk for 14-day and total mortality among subjects with suspected sepsis. Serum amyloid P and tissue plasminogen activator demonstrated the best discriminatory ability in this cohort. Fourteen-day... read more

The Effect of Adhesive Tape vs. Endotracheal Tube Fastener in Critically Ill Adults

The Effect of Adhesive Tape vs. Endotracheal Tube Fastener in Critically Ill Adults

The optimal securement method of endotracheal tubes is unknown but should prevent dislodgement while minimizing complications. The use of an endotracheal tube fastener might reduce complications among critically ill adults... read more

From In Shock to True Connection with Our Patients

From In Shock to True Connection with Our Patients

If you work in healthcare and haven't read the book "In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope" I really hope you will. In the meantime listen to intensivist and best-selling author Dr Rana... read more

Mapping Sources of Noise in an ICU

Mapping Sources of Noise in an ICU

Excessive noise in hospitals adversely affects patients' sleep and recovery, causes stress and fatigue in staff and hampers communication. The World Health Organization suggests sound levels should be limited to 35 decibels.... read more

PERFECT Protocol: Volume-based Feeding in Ventilated Adults

PERFECT Protocol: Volume-based Feeding in Ventilated Adults

Underfeeding in critical illness is common and associated with poor outcomes. Researchers in the UK designed a before-and-after study to evaluate the safety, efficacy and clinical outcomes associated with volume-based feeding... read more

Sedation in ICU patients – Need for Standardized Protocols

Sedation in ICU patients – Need for Standardized Protocols

A Johns Hopkins-led study on sedation practices in critically ill patients in a resource-limited setting finds that deep sedation, agitation, and benzodiazepines were independently associated with worse clinical outcomes.... read more

Just as in Life and Medicine, Time Is the Biggest Challenge in Writing

Just as in Life and Medicine, Time Is the Biggest Challenge in Writing

For Matt Morgan, writing is a means to relieve work stress and turn it into something useful. In his first book, which will soon be published with Simon & Schuster, he shares stories from the intensive care unit, one of the... read more

Tidal Volume Strategies for those without ARDS

Tidal Volume Strategies for those without ARDS

This paper justifies utilizing a higher tidal volume strategy for our patients without primary ARDS/pulmonary disease. This can be very useful. Patient comfort and patient-ventilator synchrony are extremely important. This... read more

Antibiotic Therapy for Severe CAP in the ICU

Antibiotic Therapy for Severe CAP in the ICU

Researchers have assessed the impact antibiotic therapy on short (hospital) and long-term (6 months) outcomes of ICU patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia. Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains one of the... read more

Social and Economic Problems of ICU Survivors Identified by a Structured Social Welfare Consultation

Social and Economic Problems of ICU Survivors Identified by a Structured Social Welfare Consultation

Despite over a decade of trials, no outpatient intervention has demonstrated any measurable improvement in the poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL) patients experience following critical illness [1, 2]. One novel avenue... read more

Heterogeneity of Treatment Effect by Baseline Risk of Mortality in Critically ill Patients

Heterogeneity of Treatment Effect by Baseline Risk of Mortality in Critically ill Patients

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) enrolling patients with sepsis or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) generate heterogeneous trial populations. Non-random variation in the treatment effect of an intervention due... read more

How Should ECMO Initiation and Withdrawal Decisions Be Shared?

How Should ECMO Initiation and Withdrawal Decisions Be Shared?

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a new technology used to rescue patients with severe circulatory or respiratory failure and help bridge them to recovery or to definitive therapies like device implantation or... read more