Tag: ICU
Low-dose Nocturnal Dexmedetomidine Prevents ICU Delirium
Dexmedetomidine is associated with less delirium than benzodiazepines, and better sleep architecture than either benzodiazepines or propofol; its effect on delirium and sleep when administered at night to patients requiring... read more
Clostridium difficile infection in the ICU
About 10% of patients with diarrhea will test positive for CDI. Around 2% of ICU patients develop an episode of CDI. Estimating the severity of CDI is essential for prognosis and therapy. Diagnosis and estimation of disease... read more
Threshold Analysis as an Alternative to GRADE for Assessing Confidence in Guideline Recommendations Based on Network Meta-analyses
Guideline development requires the synthesis of evidence on several treatments of interest, typically by using network meta-analysis (NMA). Because treatment effects may be estimated imprecisely or be based on evidence lacking... read more
Dysphagia in the ICU: Epidemiology, Mechanisms, and Clinical Management
In the light of the fact that the clinical consequences of ICU-acquired dysphagia (e.g., aspiration-induced pneumonitis/pneumonia) can often be observed on ICUs, more data on underlying mechanisms and/or risk factors seems... read more
Thromboelastography Predicts Thromboembolism in Critically Ill Coagulopathic Patients
Critically ill patients with deranged conventional coagulation tests are often perceived to have an increased bleeding risk. Whether anticoagulant prophylaxis for these patients should be withheld is contentious. This study... read more
Letting the Patient Decide: A Case Report of Self-Administered Sedation During Mechanical Ventilation
It is common for critical care nurses to administer sedative medications to patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Although patient-controlled analgesia is frequently used in practice to promote effective self-management... read more
Tele-ICU Leads to Overall Reduction in ICU Mortality
A new systematic review and meta-analysis has found that implementation of tele-ICU services was associated with an overall reduction in ICU mortality. Furthermore, in subgroup analysis, the pooled odds ratio for ICU mortality... read more
Increased Hospital-Based Physical Rehabilitation and Information Provision After ICU Discharge
Post-ICU hospital-based rehabilitation, including increased physical and nutritional therapy plus information provision, did not improve physical recovery or HRQOL, but improved patient satisfaction with many aspects of recovery.... read more
Extravascular Lung Water as a Target for Intensive Care
Extravascular lung water (EVLW) remains a useful guide for monitoring pulmonary edema (PO) and vascular permeability in sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and heart failure. In addition, EVLW has a prognostic... read more
Critical Care Pearls: Basics for Critical Patient Care and Board Review
Critical Care Pearls for medical professionals involved in taking care of critically ill patients. An excellent resource for board review written by Dr. Iqbal Ratnani and Dr. Salim Surani. Dr. Iqbal Ratnani, MD, FCCP, FCCM... read more
A Non-Antibiotic Approach for Treating or Preventing Sepsis
Researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) have tested a compound called cilengitide in a preclinical trial. The drug goes by the brand name InnovoSep. Researchers discover the drug has the potential to... read more
Hospital-acquired Infections – Adding Process Metrics
So far, we've only been looking at metrics that are really big and important. This is certainly a good place to start. To move beyond this, I'd like to introduce the concept of Outcome vs Process Metrics. Outcome Metrics... read more
Early or Delayed Cardioversion in Recent-Onset Atrial Fibrillation
In patients presenting to the emergency department with recent-onset, symptomatic atrial fibrillation, a wait-and-see approach was noninferior to early cardioversion in achieving a return to sinus rhythm at 4 weeks. The presence... read more
ICU Survivors Have a Substantial Higher Risk of Developing New Chronic Conditions Compared to a Population-Based Control Group
ICU patients have more chronic conditions during the year before ICU admission compared with a population-based control group and a five times higher odds on developing one or more new chronic conditions compared with the... read more
