Tele-ICU shows positive outcomes at Florida hospitals

Large hospitals staff their ICUs with 24/7 intensivists but smaller facilities rely on tele-ICU systems that provide specialist help as needed. The eCare program being implemented at BayCare, which includes 14 Florida hospitals,... read more

Waging War Against CABSIs

Catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CABSIs) are on the decline, according to the 2016 National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report. The report, published by the CDC, showed that between 2008... read more

Hospital ICUs Are Overused

A study conducted on ICU admissions at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center states that the hospital’s Intensive Care Units are being overused by non-deserving patients. This revelation is suggesting that the hospital’s most evasive... read more

In-Bed Cycling Feasible for ICU Patients on Ventilation

TryCYCLE was the first study in the CYCLE research program. In TryCYCLE, we determined it was safe and feasible to bike with mechanically ventilated medical surgical patients very early in their ICU stay.... read more

Normal Saline as Resuscitation Fluid in Critically Ill

The study of Van Regenmortel et al. indirectly underscores growing equipoise in the expert medical community regarding the presumed harmful effects of NS compared with balanced crystalloids. Future studies, such as the ongoing... read more

New Blood Draw Protocol can reduce risks for pediatric patients

Researchers report that implementing a checklist-style set of procedures appears to cut almost in half the number of potentially unnecessary blood culture draws in critically ill children without endangering doctors'... read more

The CAPCRI study on Semi-recumbent positioning

The CAPCRI study(3) conducted by Mireia Llaurado and her team had three aims: to evaluate real semi-recumbent position compliance and degree of head-of-bed elevation in Spanish intensive care units, to describe the relationship... read more

Induced hypothermia not associated with better outcomes for status epilepticus

In this trial, induced hypothermia added to standard care was not associated with significantly better 90-day outcomes than standard care alone in patients with convulsive status epilepticus.... read more

How nurses support families of ICU patients towards the end of life

Researchers gathered evidence on how nurses care for patients and their families in intensive care when life-sustaining treatment is withdrawn. The included studies explored the care of the family before, during and after... read more

Blood culture decision algorithm tied to PICU admissions

A standardized approach to blood cultures in the pediatric ICU successfully reduced collections from central venous catheters, investigators at a single center reported, with no subsequent uptick in adverse events.... read more

Glutamine, fish oil and antioxidants in critical illness

We hypothesize that the harmful effect of IMHP compared to HP enteral nutrition in a heterogeneous group of critically ill patients is limited to the medical critically ill patients and mediated by an early increase in (epa... read more

End-Inspiratory Pause Prolongation in ARDS Patients

Prolonging EIP allowed a significant decrease in Vt without changes in PaCO2 in passively ventilated ARDS patients. This produced a significant decrease in plateau pressure and driving pressure and significantly increased... read more

Therapy Implications for Immunomodulation After Ischemic Stroke

Despite significant advances towards a better understanding of the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke-induced immunosuppression and SAP in recent years, many unanswered questions remain. The true incidence and outcomes of... read more

Improving Appropriate Neurologic Prognostication after Cardiac Arrest

A multicenter quality intervention improved rates of appropriate neurologic prognostication after OHCA but did not increase survival with good neurologic outcome. This was a pragmatic stepped wedge cluster randomized controlled... read more

Neuroprotective Effects of the Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Analog Exenatide After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Acute administration of exenatide to comatose patients in the ICU after OHCA is feasible and safe. Exenatide did not reduce neuron-specific enolase levels and did not significantly improve a composite end point of death and... read more

The Worst Trauma Experienced as a Nurse

As a relatively new nurse, I never experienced the terror that normal people experience when someone starts to die. For me, I knew how to handle it.... read more

Skeletal muscle quality as assessed by CT-derived skeletal muscle density is associated with 6-month mortality in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients

Low skeletal muscle quality at ICU admission, as assessed by CT-derived skeletal muscle density, is independently associated with higher 6-month mortality in mechanically ventilated patients. Thus, muscle quality as well... read more

Adherence to guidelines reduces catheter-associated UTIs

Adherence to CDC guidelines for the placement, maintenance and removal of catheters and American College of Critical Care Medicine and Infectious Disease Society of America guidelines for evaluating fever in a critically... read more

The key to making ICUs less frightening and more comfortable for patients

Making patients feel more comfortable and less frightened while in the intensive care unit starts and ends with communication. In a radio interview with WERS 88.9 in Boston, patients and doctors share important changes that... read more

Emotional impact on relatives & friends in ICU

Having a relative, partner or close friend critically ill in ICU is a crisis situation that everyone deals with differently. Here people talk about the emotional effects when someone they were related to or close to was ill... read more

Care of the eye during anaesthesia and intensive care

Perioperative eye injuries and blindness are rare but important complications of anaesthesia. The three causes of postoperative blindness are ischaemic optic neuropathy, central retinal artery thrombosis.... read more

Palliative care intervention improves quality of life during hospitalization for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Palliative care involvement helps lessen quality of life (QOL) decline compared to standard care during hospitalization for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.... read more