Effect of Theophylline as Adjunct to Inhaled Corticosteroids on Exacerbations in Patients With COPD

Among adults with COPD at high risk of exacerbation treated with inhaled corticosteroids, the addition of low-dose theophylline, compared with placebo, did not reduce the number COPD exacerbations over a 1-year period. The... read more

Effect of Theophylline as Adjunct to Inhaled Corticosteroids on Exacerbations in Patients With COPD

Doubling Down on Re-Expansion Pulmonary Edema: Treatment Approach and Ventilator Management

The treatment of choice for a pneumothorax is a chest tube, and when the small pig-tail catheter doesn’t do the job, the answer is to replace it with a larger bore – right? Not so fast. The exact mechanism of REPE is... read more

Doubling Down on Re-Expansion Pulmonary Edema: Treatment Approach and Ventilator Management

Early PREdiction of Sepsis Using Leukocyte Surface Biomarkers

From a large panel of leukocyte biomarkers, immunosuppression biomarkers were associated with subsequent sepsis in ED patients with suspected acute infection. Between January 2014 and February 2016, we recruited 272, 59 and... read more

Early PREdiction of Sepsis Using Leukocyte Surface Biomarkers

Positive End-expiratory Pressure and Mechanical Power

Less than 7 cm H2O positive end-expiratory pressure reduced atelectrauma encountered at zero end-expiratory pressure. Above a defined power threshold, sustained positive end-expiratory pressure contributed to potentially... read more

Positive End-expiratory Pressure and Mechanical Power

Effect of Early vs Delayed Initiation of RRT on Mortality in Critically Ill Patients With AKI

Among critically ill patients with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), early Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) compared with delayed initiation of RRT reduced mortality over the first 90 days. Further multicenter trials of this intervention... read more

Effect of Early vs Delayed Initiation of RRT on Mortality in Critically Ill Patients With AKI

Predicting the Requirement for RRT in Intensive Care Patients with Sepsis

Sepsis is one of the most frequent causes of acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill patients, with initial organ impairment often followed by dysfunction in other systems. Renal dysfunction may therefore represent one... read more

Predicting the Requirement for RRT in Intensive Care Patients with Sepsis

S1PR2 deficiency decreased macrophage pyroptosis and improved survival in E. coli sepsis

Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 (S1PR2) deficiency decreased macrophage pyroptosis and improved survival in E. coli sepsis. These beneficial effects were attributed to the decreased caspase-11 activation of S1PR2-deficient... read more

S1PR2 deficiency decreased macrophage pyroptosis and improved survival in E. coli sepsis

Initial Inflammatory Profile in Community-acquired Pneumonia Depends on Time since Onset of Symptoms

Time since symptom onset modifies the systemic inflammatory profile at Community-acquired Pneumonia (CAP) diagnosis. This information has relevant clinical implications for management, and it should be taken into account... read more

Initial Inflammatory Profile in Community-acquired Pneumonia Depends on Time since Onset of Symptoms

Increased Early Systemic Inflammation in ICU-Acquired Weakness

The main objective is to investigate whether patients who develop ICU-acquired weakness have a different pattern of systemic inflammatory markers compared with critically ill patients who do not develop ICU-acquired weakness.... read more

Increased Early Systemic Inflammation in ICU-Acquired Weakness

Music Helps Prevent Delirium in Elderly Critical Care Patients

A randomized controlled trial demonstrates that music intervention to prevent delirium among older patients is one of few strategies that provide support in a critical care setting. This study builds on non-pharmacologic... read more

Music Helps Prevent Delirium in Elderly Critical Care Patients

Natriuretic Peptides: A Role in Early Septic Acute Kidney Injury?

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of critical illness and is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and financial cost. Sepsis is the leading association of acute kidney injury in the intensive... read more

Natriuretic Peptides: A Role in Early Septic Acute Kidney Injury?

Vascular Effects of Adrenomedullin and the Anti-Adrenomedullin Antibody Adrecizumab in Sepsis

Sepsis remains a major scientific and medical challenge, for which, apart from significant refinements in supportive therapy, treatment has barely changed over the last few decades. During sepsis, both vascular tone and vascular... read more

Vascular Effects of Adrenomedullin and the Anti-Adrenomedullin Antibody Adrecizumab in Sepsis

Mechanical Ventilation Induces Desensitization of Lung Axl Tyrosine Kinase Receptors

These data suggest that lung endothelial cell overdistention activates ion channels, and the resultant influx of Ca2+ inactivates Axl. Downstream inactivation of Axl by stretch was not anticipated; preventing this would be... read more

Mechanical Ventilation Induces Desensitization of Lung Axl Tyrosine Kinase Receptors

Metabolic Phenotype of Skeletal Muscle in Early Critical Illness

Decreased mitochondrial biogenesis and dysregulated lipid oxidation contribute to compromised skeletal muscle bioenergetic status. In addition, intramuscular inflammation was associated with impaired anabolic recovery with... read more

Metabolic Phenotype of Skeletal Muscle in Early Critical Illness

Early application of continuous HVHF can reduce sepsis and improve the prognosis of patients with severe burns

Early application of high-volume haemofiltration (HVHF) benefits patients with severe burns, especially for those with a greater burn area (≥ 80% TBSA), decreasing the incidence of sepsis and mortality. This effect may... read more

Early application of continuous HVHF can reduce sepsis and improve the prognosis of patients with severe burns

Health-related Outcomes of Critically Ill Patients With and Without Sepsis

Critically ill patients with sepsis have higher healthcare resource use and costs but similar survival and HRQoL compared to matched patients without sepsis. We conducted a primary propensity score matched analysis of patients... read more

Health-related Outcomes of Critically Ill Patients With and Without Sepsis

Understanding Central Nervous System Efficacy of Antimicrobials

Defining the optimal treatment of Central Nervous System (CNS) infections is one of the most challenging tasks for the intensivists; the therapeutic window is narrow, and the alternative drug options more limited than with... read more

Understanding Central Nervous System Efficacy of Antimicrobials

The Elevated Troponin: What else besides ACS could cause troponin elevation?

The increased troponin used to be a straight ticket to the cardiology service. Now, the picture isn't so clear. What do you need to consider in the patient with elevated troponin? Cardiac troponins consist of three proteins:... read more

The Elevated Troponin: What else besides ACS could cause troponin elevation?

Distinguishing Pneumonia From Pneumonitis to Safely Discontinue Antibiotics

Consequences of pulmonary aspiration can be biphasic with dissimilar sequelae. An early phase, coined pneumonitis, involves an inflammatory reaction to gastrointestinal contents with a pH typically less than 2.4 resulting... read more

Distinguishing Pneumonia From Pneumonitis to Safely Discontinue Antibiotics

Losing Sleep Over Delirium

Delirium is an acute cognitive disorder that presents with alterations in levels of consciousness accompanied by a change in cognition or perceptual disturbance that develops over a short period (hours to days) and fluctuates... read more

Losing Sleep Over Delirium

In vitro comparison of the adsorption of inflammatory mediators by blood purification devices

Septic shock, a leading cause of acute kidney injury, induces release of pro-/anti-inflammatory mediators, leading to increased mortality and poor renal recovery. This is the first in vitro study directly comparing three... read more

In vitro comparison of the adsorption of inflammatory mediators by blood purification devices