Feelings of Strangeness in ICU Patients

Feelings of Strangeness in ICU Patients

After several weeks in the intensive care unit (ICU) following a lung infection, Mr Pol wakes up from a coma and gradually becomes aware of his situation. The healthcare team rejoice in the successful outcome of his extubation:... read more

Evolving Crisis Standards of Care and Ongoing Lessons from COVID-19

Evolving Crisis Standards of Care and Ongoing Lessons from COVID-19

Crisis Standards of Care (CSC) inform decisions on medical care during a large-scale crisis such as a pandemic or natural disaster, eliminating the need to make these decisions at the bedside without protections or guidance.... read more

Temporal Trends and Hospital Variation in Time-to-Antibiotics Among Veterans Hospitalized with Sepsis

Temporal Trends and Hospital Variation in Time-to-Antibiotics Among Veterans Hospitalized with Sepsis

This cohort study across nationwide VA hospitals found that time-to-antibiotics for sepsis has declined over time. However, there remains significant variability in time-to-antibiotics not explained by patient characteristics,... read more

Sepsis and Septic Shock: An Issue of Critical Care Clinics

Sepsis and Septic Shock: An Issue of Critical Care Clinics

Shock is caused by the decreased flow of blood to the body tissues due to circulatory system related problems. Sepsis refers to a life-threatening condition where the body causes injury to its own organs and tissues in response... read more

Disposable Hospital Gowns May Pose Infection Risk

Disposable Hospital Gowns May Pose Infection Risk

Disposable gowns designed to deflect the splatter of bodily fluids, used in thousands of U.S. hospitals, have underperformed in recent and ongoing laboratory tests and may fall short of safety standards, leaving health care... read more

Prevalence of PICS in Mechanically Ventilated Patients with COVID-19

Prevalence of PICS in Mechanically Ventilated Patients with COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) patients usually require long periods of mechanical ventilation and sedation, which added to steroid therapy, favours a predisposition to the development of delirium and subsequent mental... read more

New WHO Toolkit Focuses on Severe Acute Respiratory Infection

New WHO Toolkit Focuses on Severe Acute Respiratory Infection

During the early months of the pandemic, it became imperative to share best practices for the care and treatment of patients with SARS CoV-2. This new infectious agent, with potentially new pathogenesis and an unprecedented... read more

Hydroxychloroquine Not Associated With Decreased Risk for COVID-19 Hospitalization

Hydroxychloroquine Not Associated With Decreased Risk for COVID-19 Hospitalization

Results of a multicenter, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial found no evidence to support the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 infection in the outpatient setting. These findings were published in The Lancet... read more

Inflammation Causes COVID-19-related Loss of Smell Not The Virus

Inflammation Causes COVID-19-related Loss of Smell Not The Virus

This study found that COVID-19 infection is associated with axon injuries and microvasculopathy in olfactory tissue. The striking axonal pathology in some cases indicates that olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19 infection may... read more

Risk of Serious Blood Clots Up To 6 Months After COVID-19

Risk of Serious Blood Clots Up To 6 Months After COVID-19

A study from Sweden finds an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot in the leg) up to three months after COVID-19 infection, pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lung) up to six months, and a bleeding event... read more

Post COVID-19 Pulmonary Fibrosis

Post COVID-19 Pulmonary Fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis is a frequently reported COVID-19 sequela in which the exact prevalence and risk factors are yet to be established. This meta-analysis aims to investigate the prevalence of post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis... read more

Prevalence of COVID-19-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis

Prevalence of COVID-19-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis

First reports of cases and case series of COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) emerged during the first months of the pandemic. Prevalence rates varied widely due to the fact that CAPA was, and still remains,... read more

How Autoimmune Disease Risks Increases After COVID-19

How Autoimmune Disease Risks Increases After COVID-19

The link between COVID-19 infection and development of autoimmune disease is becoming more pronounced, and fields including dermatology are seeking answers to what drives it all. A late-breaking session at the American... read more

Pleural Resident Macrophages and Pleural IRA B Cells Promote Immunity Against Pneumonia

Pleural Resident Macrophages and Pleural IRA B Cells Promote Immunity Against Pneumonia

Airway infection is a major cause of mortality worldwide. The identification of new mechanisms aiding in effective host immune response is therefore required. Here, we show that the specific depletion of the pleural immune... read more

Thromboinflammation and Antithrombotics in COVID-19

Thromboinflammation and Antithrombotics in COVID-19

Thrombotic complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection were recognized early in the pandemic, when infected patients often presented with abnormal coagulation findings and acute macrovascular obstruction, and evidence of pulmonary... read more

Hemodynamic Management Challenges of Septic Shock

Hemodynamic Management Challenges of Septic Shock

Sepsis is one of the main causes of admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). It is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction, caused by dysregulated host response to infection (Singer et al. 2016). Septic shock... read more

Higher Dose Antibiotic Shown Safe in TB Patients Likely More Effective in Treating Deadliest Form of TB

Higher Dose Antibiotic Shown Safe in TB Patients Likely More Effective in Treating Deadliest Form of TB

A Johns Hopkins Children’s Center-led study in animals suggests that high doses of a widely used antibiotic called rifampin may safely treat and reduce the duration of treatment for the deadliest form of tuberculosis that... read more