Tag: ICU

Intrathoracic Pressure Regulation Therapy Applied to Ventilated Patients for Treatment of Compromised Cerebral Perfusion from Brain Injury

These data support the notion that active intrathoracic pressure regulation, in this limited evaluation, can successfully augment cerebral perfusion by lowering intracranial pressure and increasing mean arterial pressure... read more

Association of ICU Delirium with Sleep Disturbance and Functional Disability After Critical Illness

After adjusting for important covariates, total days of MICU delirium were significantly associated with increased post-discharge sleep disturbance. Delirium incidence showed a trend toward association with increased functional... read more

Mobilization is Feasible in Intensive Care Patients Receiving Vasoactive Therapy

In our ICU, patients mobilized on approximately one-third of vasoactive days. Clinicians should anticipate a higher risk of hypotension during mobilization in patients receiving vasoactive therapy, which may require transient... read more

Identifying Barriers to Nurse-Facilitated Patient Mobility in the ICU

Nurses have limited time for additional clinical activities but may miss potentially important opportunities for facilitating patient mobility during existing patient care. The proposed method is feasible and helpful in empirically... read more

Physician-Level Variation in Outcomes of Mechanically Ventilated Patients

Physicians are increasingly being held accountable for patient outcomes. Yet their specific contribution to the outcomes remains uncertain. Intensivists independently contribute to outcomes of Medicare patients who undergo... read more

Age- and Gender-related Peculiarities of Patients with Delirium in the Cardiac ICU

Our investigation presented a number of associated peculiarities related to gender and age. It was shown that delirium is a severe complication that more often affects men amongst patients < 65 years old and more frequently... read more

How Should We Relate to Unreasonable Families in the ICU?

Most families have never suffered through a loved one experiencing prolonged critical illness and respiratory failure (defined as ventilator dependence for weeks, usually with a tracheostomy). But each year, more do. An estimated... read more

The CAM-ICU-7 Delirium Severity Scale: A Novel Delirium Severity Instrument for Use in the ICU

The CAM-ICU-7 delirium severity scale is a valid, reliable, and practical delirium severity measure among ICU patients that can be easily calculated and is associated with meaningful clinical outcomes. This practical tool... read more

Sleep Deprived-Patients in ICU May Fail to Get Off Ventilation

Attempts to wean intubated, critically ill patients off mechanical ventilators were less successful when the patients exhibited atypical sleep or pathological wakefulness, researchers reported. The findings suggest that sleep... read more

Effect of Titrating PEEP with Esophageal Pressure-Guided Strategy vs Empirical High PEEP-Fio2 Strategy on Death and Days Free From Mechanical Ventilation Among Patients With ARDS

Among patients with moderate to severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), PES-guided positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), compared with empirical high PEEP-Fio2, resulted in no significant difference in death... read more

Incident Diabetes in Survivors of Critical Illness and Mechanisms Underlying Persistent Glucose Intolerance

Diabetes and pre-diabetes occur frequently in survivors of ICU experiencing stress hyperglycemia. Based on the occurrence rate observed in this cohort, structured screening and intervention programs appear warranted. Consent... read more

I Spent 4 Weeks Near Death In The ICU

I spent 4 weeks near death in the ICU. Here's what I learned struggling for my life. My mind and body had to relearn everything: how to brush my hair, put on socks and take a sit-down shower. Although it was frustrating to... read more

Electronic Hand Hygiene System Fails to Improve Staff Satisfaction in ICU

A study published in Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control examined the effect of introducing an electronic hand hygiene surveillance and intervention system into an ICU. Researchers introduced the system into a general... read more

Potassium Homoeostasis and Pathophysiology of Hyperkalaemia

Since determination of potassium levels may be afflicted with various errors, potassium levels should be determined using a standardized set-up ensuring high accuracy and precision of measurements. Potassium levels may be... read more

Appropriate Treatment for Bloodstream Infections Due to Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae and Escherichia Coli

Tigecycline monotherapy was a choice if the strains exhibited MIC ≤0.5 mg/L, and colistin monotherapy was not suitable. Our findings can initiate additional clinical studies regarding the efficacy of tigecycline in carbapenem-resistant... read more

Annals of B-Pod: Neurogenic Shock

Shock is defined as the failure of circulation to provide adequate oxygenation to meet cellular demand. To better identify and manage this compromised physiologic state, shock is subcategorized into four... read more

Effect of Occupancy on Critically Ill Admissions

Effect of Emergency Department and ICU Occupancy on Admission Decisions and Outcomes for Critically Ill Patients. The volume of ICU admissions from the ED has increased around 50% from 2001-2009. Hospitals struggle with this... read more

Can Noninvasive BP Monitoring Replace Arterial Catheter?

Although its reliability is often questioned, noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) monitoring with an oscillometric arm cuff is widely used. Indeed, intermittent arm NIBP is the first-line monitoring technique during prehospital... read more

ICU Admissions Raise Chronic Condition Risk

A new study of ICU patients in the Netherlands shows a heightened risk of developing new chronic conditions in patients after an intensive care stay. The research showed rising likelihood of conditions such as depression,... read more

Mythbuster: Administration of Vasopressors Through Peripheral Intravenous Access

Vasopressors are frequently used in critically ill patients with hemodynamic instability both in the emergency department (ED) as well as intensive care units (ICUs). Typically, vasopressors are given through central venous... read more

Caring for Critically Ill Patients in Humanitarian Settings

Critical care medicine is far from the first medical field to come to mind when humanitarian action is mentioned, yet both critical care and humanitarian action share a fundamental purpose to save the lives and ease the suffering... read more

Clinics Aim to Improve Post-ICU Recovery

Ten days after arriving in the emergency department with pneumonia, 58-year-old Connie Bovier woke up in the intensive care unit (ICU). She survived acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), sepsis, and a host of other... read more